2000
#6,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,822
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Rare Last name
Gwin
A Welsh toponymic surname derived from the word "gwyn," meaning "white" or "fair," likely referring to a light-colored landscape.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,346 Americans carry the last name Gwin. That puts it at #6,943 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,114 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gwin 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
5.3K
1 in 64,114
Census rank
#6,943
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,662 bearers of the surname Gwin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6943rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gwin
The surname Gwin has its origins in Wales, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Welsh word "gwyn," which means "fair" or "white," and was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone with fair hair or a pale complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gwin can be found in the Peniarth Manuscripts, a collection of Welsh manuscripts from the 12th to the 16th centuries. These manuscripts contain references to individuals with the surname Gwin, suggesting its use in medieval Wales.
The name Gwin can also be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. While the Domesday Book primarily covers England, it does include some references to individuals and places in Wales, where the surname Gwin may have been recorded.
During the Middle Ages, the Gwin surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire in southeastern Wales. Some early examples of individuals bearing this surname include Ieuan Gwin, a landowner in Glamorgan in the 14th century, and Rhys Gwin, a prominent figure in Monmouthshire in the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Gwin surname appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Llyfr Baglan, a collection of Welsh poetry from the 15th and 16th centuries. One notable figure from this time was Sion Gwin, a Welsh poet and writer who lived in the mid-16th century.
As the centuries passed, the Gwin surname spread beyond Wales, with some individuals bearing the name migrating to other parts of the British Isles and even to the Americas. One notable individual was William Gwin, an American politician and diplomat who served as a United States Senator from California in the mid-19th century (born in 1805, died in 1885).
Another notable figure was John Gwin, a Welsh clergyman and scholar who lived in the 17th century (born in 1605, died in 1688). He was known for his work on the translation of the Bible into Welsh and his contributions to Welsh literature.
In the 18th century, a prominent individual with the Gwin surname was William Gwin, a Welsh industrialist and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the copper industry in Swansea (born in 1734, died in 1805).
As time progressed, the Gwin surname continued to be found in various parts of the world, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, including literature, politics, and industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gwin
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gwin 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 Gwin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 3,759
- Black or African American8.4% · 390
- Two or more races4.8% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 175
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gwin
Gwin 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
#7,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,781
-41 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 515 places
2020
#6,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,662
-119 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,491 | 4,822 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,006 | 4,781 | 1.62 | -41 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 515 places |
| 2020 | #6,943 | 4,662 | 1.56 | -119 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 63 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 Gwin 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 | #7,006 | #6,943 | 0.9% |
| Count | 4,781 | 4,662 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.56 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gwin bearers went from 4,781 to 4,662 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,006 to #6,943.
FAQ
Gwin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gwin?
Name Census estimates that about 5,346 living Americans carry the surname Gwin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,114 residents.
How common is Gwin?
Gwin ranks #6,943 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,662 people with the surname Gwin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gwin.
Has Gwin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gwin went from 4,781 recorded bearers to 4,662. That is a decrease of 119 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,006 to #6,943.
What does the Census say about the background of Gwin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwin, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Gwin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (3,759 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gwin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Gwin (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 Gwin mean?
A Welsh toponymic surname derived from the word "gwyn," meaning "white" or "fair," likely referring to a light-colored landscape. 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 Gwin (1.56 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 last name Gwin?
If you just want to know how common the surname Gwin is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.