Find out how popular the last name Gwynn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gwynn.

Gwynn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gwynn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gwynn in America

Gwynn is the 9894th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gwynn surname appeared 3,268 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gwynn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gwynn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gwynn

The surname Gwynn is believed to have originated in Wales, deriving from the Welsh personal name Gwyn, which means "fair" or "blessed". It's likely that this name was initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone with fair hair or a fair complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gwynn can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of Wales. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Gruffydd Gwyn, a Welsh nobleman who lived in the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, the name Gwynn appeared in several historical records and manuscripts, including the Register of the Gwydir Family, which documented the genealogy of an influential Welsh family with members bearing the surname Gwynn.

The surname Gwynn has also been associated with various place names in Wales, such as Gwynedd, which means "fair/blessed land" in Welsh. This suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname Gwynn based on their place of origin or residence.

One notable figure in history with the surname Gwynn was Nell Gwynn (1650-1687), a famous English actress and mistress of King Charles II. She was born Eleanor Gwynn and became a celebrated figure in the Restoration era, known for her wit and charm.

Another prominent individual with the surname Gwynn was Matthew Gwyn (c. 1558-1627), a Welsh bishop and translator who played a significant role in the translation of the Bible into Welsh.

In the literary world, Edmund Gwynn (1877-1964) was an Irish scholar and historian who specialized in Anglo-Norman literature and served as the Provost of Trinity College Dublin from 1937 to 1951.

John Gwynn (c. 1713-1786) was an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Magdalen Chapel and the London Hospital.

Lastly, Stephen Gwynn (1864-1950) was an Irish journalist, writer, and politician who served as a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons and wrote extensively on Irish history and literature.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gwynn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gwynn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gwynn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gwynn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gwynn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gwynn, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!