2000
#6,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,625
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Gwinn
A surname of Welsh origin, derived from the given name Gwyn, meaning "white" or "fair-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,281 Americans carry the last name Gwinn. That puts it at #7,030 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gwinn 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 64,903
Census rank
#7,030
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,605 bearers of the surname Gwinn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7030th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gwinn
The surname Gwinn has its origins in Wales, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Welsh word "gwyn," which means "white" or "fair." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname referring to someone with light-colored hair or a fair complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gwinn can be found in the Chancery Rolls of 1275, which mention a person named "Jevan Gwyn." Furthermore, the name appears in the Brogyntyn Manuscripts, a collection of historical documents from the 14th century, where it is spelled as "Gwynne."
Gwinn is also closely linked to the place name "Gwinnedd," an ancient region in northwest Wales. This region was once ruled by the powerful Gwynedd dynasty, and it is possible that some individuals with the surname Gwinn may have been associated with this royal lineage or hailed from that area.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Gwinn throughout history include:
1. John Gwinn (c. 1600-1678), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the rector of Wilby, Norfolk.
2. William Gwinn (1770-1835), an American politician who served as a representative in the United States Congress from North Carolina.
3. Martha Gwinn Kessler (1896-1994), an American philanthropist and patron of the arts, known for her support of the Kessler Theater in Dallas, Texas.
4. John Gwinn (1594-1675), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Ludlow during the reign of Charles I.
5. Thomas Gwinn (1766-1828), an American soldier and pioneer who fought in the Revolutionary War and later settled in Kentucky.
The surname Gwinn has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history. For example, the village of Gwinnett in Flintshire, Wales, is said to have derived its name from the Welsh term "Gwyn-edd," meaning "the fair or white region." Additionally, Gwinnett County in Georgia, United States, was named after Button Gwinnett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gwinn
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gwinn 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 Gwinn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 3,747
- Black or African American11.0% · 506
- Two or more races4.1% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gwinn
Gwinn 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
#6,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,852
+227 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#7,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,605
-247 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,725 | 4,625 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,915 | 4,852 | 1.64 | +227 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #7,030 | 4,605 | 1.54 | -247 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 115 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 Gwinn 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 | #6,915 | #7,030 | -1.7% |
| Count | 4,852 | 4,605 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.54 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gwinn bearers went from 4,852 to 4,605 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,915 to #7,030.
FAQ
Gwinn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gwinn?
Name Census estimates that about 5,281 living Americans carry the surname Gwinn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,903 residents.
How common is Gwinn?
Gwinn ranks #7,030 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.54 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 4,605 people with the surname Gwinn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.54 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 Gwinn.
Has Gwinn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gwinn went from 4,852 recorded bearers to 4,605. That is a decrease of 247 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,915 to #7,030.
What does the Census say about the background of Gwinn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Black (11.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Gwinn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (3,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gwinn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Black (11.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Gwinn (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 Gwinn mean?
A surname of Welsh origin, derived from the given name Gwyn, meaning "white" or "fair-haired." 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 Gwinn (1.54 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 common is the surname Gwinn?
You can see how many people have the surname Gwinn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.