2000
#102,173
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Gushee
An Anglicized form of a French surname derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 192 Americans carry the last name Gushee. That puts it at #111,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,785,179 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gushee 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
192
1 in 1,785,179
Census rank
#111,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
167
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 167 bearers of the surname Gushee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gushee, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gushee
The surname GUSHEE is believed to have originated in England, possibly deriving from the Old English word "gos" meaning "goose." It may have initially referred to someone who raised or traded in geese, or perhaps a location associated with geese. Alternatively, it could be a variant spelling of the surname "Goshy," which has similar roots.
The earliest known record of the GUSHEE name dates back to the late 16th century, with a reference to a William Gushee in the parish records of Crayford, Kent, England, in 1592. There are also records of the surname in various spellings, such as Gushy, Gussey, and Gooshy, in several counties across southern and central England during the 17th and 18th centuries.
One notable early bearer of the GUSHEE name was John Gushee, born in 1636 in Somerset, England. He later immigrated to the American colonies, settling in Massachusetts in the late 1600s. His descendants went on to establish a significant presence in New England, particularly in Maine.
In the 19th century, the GUSHEE surname appeared in various historical documents, including the 1841 census of England and Wales, where it was recorded in several counties, such as Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire.
Significant individuals with the GUSHEE surname include:
1. Thomas Gushee (1775-1855), an American farmer and soldier from Maine who served in the War of 1812.
2. Reverend Samuel Gushee (1806-1876), a Baptist minister and abolitionist from Maine who campaigned against slavery.
3. Harriet Gushee (1846-1928), an American educator and suffragist from Maine who advocated for women's rights and education reform.
4. William H. Gushee (1865-1942), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Maine who founded the Gushee Shoe Company.
5. Horace Gushee (1892-1967), an American artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and illustrations in books and magazines.
The GUSHEE surname has a rich history spanning several centuries, with roots tracing back to early modern England and a significant presence in New England, particularly in the state of Maine. Its origins likely lie in occupational or geographical associations related to geese or similar-sounding words.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gushee
Among Census respondents with the surname Gushee, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gushee 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 Gushee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.8% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 14
- Two or more races6.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gushee
Gushee 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
-15 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,307 places
2020
#111,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
+19 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #102,173 | 163 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | -15 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 15,307 places |
| 2020 | #111,996 | 167 | 0.06 | +19 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 5,484 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 Gushee 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 | #117,480 | #111,996 | 4.7% |
| Count | 148 | 167 | 12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gushee bearers went from 148 to 167 (+12.8% change). The surname moved up 5,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #111,996.
FAQ
Gushee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gushee?
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the surname Gushee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,785,179 residents.
How common is Gushee?
Gushee ranks #111,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 167 people with the surname Gushee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Gushee.
Has Gushee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gushee went from 148 recorded bearers to 167. That is an increase of 19 (+12.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #117,480 to #111,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Gushee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gushee, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Gushee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.8% (135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gushee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.8%), Hispanic (8.4%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Gushee (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 Gushee mean?
An Anglicized form of a French surname derived from a place name. 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 Gushee (0.06 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 Gushee?
If you just want to know how common the surname Gushee is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.