2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gussie
A pet form of the French surname Gustave, meaning "staff host."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Gussie. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gussie 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Gussie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gussie, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gussie
The surname Gussie is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, derived from the Old English personal name Gos or Gosse. This name likely stemmed from the Germanic root "gans" or "gos," meaning "a goose."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gussie surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Gosse in Dorset. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Gos, Gosse, Gosse, Goss, and Gussie. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions of the time.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Richard Gussie, a landowner and knight who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III. Records from this period also mention a John Gussie, a merchant from Bristol.
During the 16th century, the Gussie surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Devon and Somerset. One notable figure from this era was William Gussie (1505-1572), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in London.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parish records and court documents. For instance, a John Gussie was recorded as a landowner in the village of Taunton, Somerset, in 1624.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Gussie surname was Thomas Gussie (1678-1751), a prominent lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer in England during the reign of King George II.
As the Gussie family spread across England and beyond, the surname also took on various localized spellings, such as Gussy, Gussey, and Guzzy. These variations reflect the influence of regional dialects and the evolution of the English language over time.
Several individuals with the Gussie surname have achieved recognition in various fields throughout history. These include Sir Henry Gussie (1812-1889), a British naval officer and explorer who charted parts of the Australian coast, and Mary Gussie (1838-1923), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gussie
Among Census respondents with the surname Gussie, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gussie 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 Gussie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 75
- Black or African American12.0% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 7
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gussie
Gussie 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
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-11 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 7,335 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 Gussie 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 | #148,347 | #155,682 | -4.9% |
| Count | 111 | 100 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gussie bearers went from 111 to 100 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 7,335 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #155,682.
FAQ
Gussie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gussie?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Gussie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Gussie?
Gussie ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Gussie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gussie.
Has Gussie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gussie went from 111 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Gussie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gussie, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Hispanic (7.0%). 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 Gussie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gussie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Black (12.0%), Hispanic (7.0%). 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 Gussie (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 Gussie mean?
A pet form of the French surname Gustave, meaning "staff host." 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 Gussie (0.03 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 Gussie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.