2000
#14,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,882
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Gurganus
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of organ pipes or flutes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,100 Americans carry the last name Gurganus. That puts it at #15,422 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gurganus surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,216
Census rank
#15,422
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,831 bearers of the surname Gurganus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15422nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurganus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gurganus
The surname Gurganus is believed to have originated in the region of Campania in southern Italy during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Italian word "gurgano," which means "throat" or "gullet," possibly referring to an ancestor's occupation or physical characteristic.
One of the earliest known records of the Gurganus name can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Amalfitano," a collection of documents from the maritime republic of Amalfi, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears in several documents related to trade and commerce, suggesting that the Gurganus family may have been involved in maritime activities or merchant trades.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Gurganus (c. 1420-1490) was a renowned physician and scholar from the city of Naples. He authored several treatises on medicine and was known for his contributions to the study of anatomy and physiology.
During the 16th century, the Gurganus name spread to other parts of Italy, including the regions of Calabria and Sicily. One notable individual from this period was Vincenzo Gurganus (c. 1530-1598), a Sicilian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of astronomical instruments and the study of celestial mechanics.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Gurganus family settled in the Spanish-ruled Kingdom of Naples. One prominent member was Girolamo Gurganus (1605-1678), a lawyer and statesman who served as a magistrate and advisor to the Spanish viceroy.
As the Gurganus name spread throughout Europe in the following centuries, it underwent various spellings and adaptations, such as Gurgano, Gurgani, and Gurgano-Gurganus. Notable individuals from this period include the Italian composer and musician Gaetano Gurganus (1738-1804), who gained fame for his operas and sacred works.
While the Gurganus surname is relatively uncommon globally, it has maintained a strong presence in parts of southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily, where it continues to be associated with a rich cultural heritage and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gurganus
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurganus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gurganus bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gurganus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 1,695
- Two or more races3.1% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 34
- Black or African American1.7% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gurganus
Gurganus appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
+84 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 499 places
2020
#15,422
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,831
-135 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 402 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,521 | 1,882 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,020 | 1,966 | 0.67 | +84 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 499 places |
| 2020 | #15,422 | 1,831 | 0.61 | -135 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 402 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gurganus surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,020 | #15,422 | -2.7% |
| Count | 1,966 | 1,831 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.61 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gurganus bearers went from 1,966 to 1,831 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 402 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,020 to #15,422.
FAQ
Gurganus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gurganus?
Name Census estimates that about 2,100 living Americans carry the surname Gurganus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,216 residents.
How common is Gurganus?
Gurganus ranks #15,422 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,831 people with the surname Gurganus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,100), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gurganus.
Has Gurganus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gurganus went from 1,966 recorded bearers to 1,831. That is a decrease of 135 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,020 to #15,422.
What does the Census say about the background of Gurganus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurganus, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gurganus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (1,695 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gurganus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gurganus (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gurganus mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of organ pipes or flutes. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gurganus (0.61 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Gurganus?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.