2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Gurien
An Armenian surname meaning "foreigner" or "stranger."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gurien. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gurien 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gurien in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurien, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gurien
The surname Gurien has its origins in the German region of Bavaria, with records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "gur," meaning a type of spear or javelin. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname referring to a spearmaker or soldier.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gurien is found in the parish records of the town of Amberg in Bavaria, where a Johann Gurien was documented in 1587. Another early reference is a Hans Gurien, who is mentioned in the court records of the city of Nuremberg in 1612.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with a Christoph Gurien born in Saxony in 1639. Around this time, variations in spelling also emerged, such as Guhrein and Gührein.
A notable figure bearing the surname Gurien was Friedrich Gurien, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1670 to 1733. He was a prominent scholar at the University of Halle and wrote several influential works on ethics and theology.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other regions. In the 18th century, a family named Gurien settled in the Netherlands, with a record of a Jan Gurien born in Amsterdam in 1756.
Another significant individual with the surname Gurien was Carl Gurien, a German artist and printmaker who lived from 1801 to 1879. He is particularly known for his etchings and lithographs depicting landscapes and architectural scenes.
In the 19th century, the name Gurien appeared in various parts of Europe, including France, where a Louis Gurien was born in Strasbourg in 1824, and Russia, with a record of an Aleksandr Gurien born in St. Petersburg in 1869.
While the surname Gurien has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has left its mark in various fields, from academia and theology to art and culture, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gurien
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurien, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gurien 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 Gurien surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 113
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gurien
Gurien appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+18 bearers (+17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,925 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.5%) | Up 15,925 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 Gurien 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 | #157,234 | #141,309 | 10.1% |
| Count | 103 | 121 | 17.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 34.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gurien bearers went from 103 to 121 (+17.5% change). The surname moved up 15,925 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gurien surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gurien?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gurien. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gurien?
Gurien ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Gurien. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gurien.
Has Gurien become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gurien went from 103 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 18 (+17.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gurien?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurien, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gurien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gurien appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gurien (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 Gurien mean?
An Armenian surname meaning "foreigner" or "stranger." 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 Gurien (0.04 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 Gurien?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.