2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gurvitz
A Russian surname of Jewish origin, possibly related to the Hebrew word "gur" meaning a proselyte or convert.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Gurvitz. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gurvitz 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Gurvitz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurvitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gurvitz
The surname Gurvitz is of Slavic origin, specifically from Belarus and Ukraine. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name "Gurvy," which is a diminutive form of the name "Grigory" or "Gury." The name Grigory itself is derived from the Greek name "Gregorios," meaning "watchful" or "vigilant."
The Gurvitz surname can be traced back to the 16th century in Belarus and Ukraine, where it was commonly found among Jewish communities. In those regions, patronymic surnames were widely used, and the suffix "-itz" or "-vitz" was added to the father's name to indicate a son's lineage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gurvitz surname appears in a census record from the town of Pinsk, Belarus, in the late 16th century. The record mentions a family with the surname Gurvitz living in the area.
In the 17th century, the name Gurvitz was also found in various Jewish community records and documents in Ukraine, particularly in the cities of Kyiv and Odesa. These records often listed individuals with the Gurvitz surname as merchants, artisans, or members of the local Jewish councils.
Notable individuals with the Gurvitz surname include:
1. Rabbi Moshe Gurvitz (1670-1745), a renowned Jewish scholar and author from Brest, Belarus, who wrote several influential works on Jewish law and philosophy.
2. Yehoshua Gurvitz (1786-1862), a prominent Hebrew writer and educator from Zhytomyr, Ukraine, who published numerous books on Jewish culture and history.
3. Naftali Gurvitz (1819-1897), a Jewish community leader and philanthropist from Odesa, Ukraine, who funded the construction of several synagogues and schools in the region.
4. Yitzhak Gurvitz (1860-1924), a Zionist activist and author from Minsk, Belarus, who played a significant role in the early Zionist movement and advocated for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.
5. Sofia Gurvitz (1885-1968), a Russian-Jewish artist and painter known for her avant-garde style and works depicting Jewish life in pre-revolutionary Russia.
While the Gurvitz surname originated in Belarus and Ukraine, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the Slavic regions, where it has a rich historical background and significance within the Jewish community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gurvitz
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurvitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gurvitz 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 Gurvitz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Black or African American3.4% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gurvitz
Gurvitz 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 711 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 680 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 711 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 680 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 Gurvitz 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 | #142,108 | #142,788 | -0.5% |
| Count | 117 | 119 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gurvitz bearers went from 117 to 119 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 680 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,788.
FAQ
Gurvitz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gurvitz?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Gurvitz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Gurvitz?
Gurvitz ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Gurvitz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Gurvitz.
Has Gurvitz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gurvitz went from 117 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Gurvitz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gurvitz, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.4%) 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 Gurvitz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gurvitz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Black (3.4%), 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 Gurvitz (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 Gurvitz mean?
A Russian surname of Jewish origin, possibly related to the Hebrew word "gur" meaning a proselyte or convert. 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 Gurvitz (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 are called Gurvitz?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gurvitz? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.