2000
#7,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,311
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Gurney
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "grain farm" or "granary."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,953 Americans carry the last name Gurney. That puts it at #7,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,201 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gurney 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gurney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,201
Census rank
#7,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,319 bearers of the surname Gurney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gurney
The surname Gurney originates from the Anglo-Norman French word "gournet" meaning a fish pond or small stream. It is believed to have first emerged in England during the Norman conquest of 1066. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gornai" in Oxfordshire.
The Gurney family initially settled in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, including Gornay, Gournay, and Gurnard. One notable early bearer of the name was Hugh de Gournay, who was appointed Lord of Gournay in the 12th century.
In the 13th century, records show a Sir Thomas de Gournay serving as a knight in the retinue of King Edward I during the Scottish Wars of Independence. His son, also named Thomas de Gournay, fought alongside Edward III at the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
The name Gurney can also be found associated with several place names in Norfolk, such as Gurney Street and Gurney Court in Norwich. This suggests that the family may have held significant landholdings in the region.
One of the most famous bearers of the Gurney surname was Joseph John Gurney (1788-1847), a prominent Quaker banker and philanthropist. He was instrumental in campaigning for the abolition of slavery and improving prison conditions in Britain.
Another notable figure was Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875), an English scientist and inventor. He is credited with developing the first commercial steam-powered road vehicle, known as the Gurney Steam Carriage, in the 1820s.
In the literary world, Edmund Gurney (1847-1888) was an English psychologist and co-founder of the Society for Psychical Research. He conducted pioneering research into hypnosis, telepathy, and other paranormal phenomena.
Lastly, Sir Henry Gurney (1888-1951) was a British colonial administrator who served as High Commissioner of the Malay States and Governor of the Straits Settlements in the 1940s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gurney
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gurney 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 Gurney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,959
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 143
- Two or more races2.9% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 44
- Black or African American0.7% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gurney
Gurney 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
#7,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,547
+236 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 187 places
2020
#7,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,319
-228 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,149 | 4,311 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,336 | 4,547 | 1.54 | +236 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 187 places |
| 2020 | #7,442 | 4,319 | 1.44 | -228 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 106 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 Gurney 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 | #7,336 | #7,442 | -1.4% |
| Count | 4,547 | 4,319 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.44 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gurney bearers went from 4,547 to 4,319 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,336 to #7,442.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gurney
FAQ
Gurney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gurney?
Name Census estimates that about 4,953 living Americans carry the surname Gurney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,201 residents.
How common is Gurney?
Gurney ranks #7,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,319 people with the surname Gurney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,953), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Gurney.
Has Gurney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gurney went from 4,547 recorded bearers to 4,319. That is a decrease of 228 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,336 to #7,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Gurney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurney, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gurney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,959 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gurney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gurney (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 Gurney mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "grain farm" or "granary." 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 Gurney (1.44 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 have the surname Gurney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.