2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gynn
An English surname derived from a location near Folkestone, Kent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Gynn. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gynn 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gynn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Gynn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gynn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gynn
The surname "GYNN" is believed to have originated in the British Isles, particularly in England and Wales, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Welsh word "gwyn," which means "white" or "fair," suggesting that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with light-colored hair or a fair complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Feet of Fines and the Pipe Rolls. One notable example is the mention of a William Gynn in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
In the 15th century, the name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire, areas with strong Welsh influence and connections. This suggests that the name may have roots in the Welsh-speaking regions along the Welsh-English border.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Gynn surname was John Gynn, a prominent merchant and burgess of the town of Shrewsbury, who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Another notable individual was Sir Edward Gynn, a Welsh landowner and Member of Parliament for Radnorshire in the late 16th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname spread throughout various parts of England, with families bearing the name appearing in records from counties such as Somerset, Devon, and Lancashire. Notable figures from this period include William Gynn (1658-1730), a distinguished mathematician and astronomer from Southwark, London, and John Gynn (1713-1788), a Church of England clergyman and author from Devon.
In the 19th century, the Gynn surname gained prominence in the field of literature with the English poet, novelist, and playwright Mary Gynn (1820-1892), known for her works exploring social issues and the lives of working-class women.
Throughout its history, the Gynn surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Gynn Hill in Norfolk and Gynn Valley in Lancashire, further reflecting its geographical origins and distributions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gynn
Among Census respondents with the surname Gynn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gynn 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 Gynn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 96
- Black or African American5.6% · 6
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gynn
Gynn 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-17 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,110 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 26,110 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 3,972 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 Gynn 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 | #154,907 | #150,935 | 2.6% |
| Count | 105 | 108 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gynn bearers went from 105 to 108 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 3,972 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,935.
FAQ
Gynn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gynn?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Gynn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Gynn?
Gynn ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Gynn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gynn.
Has Gynn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gynn went from 105 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Gynn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gynn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Gynn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gynn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Black (5.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Gynn (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 Gynn mean?
An English surname derived from a location near Folkestone, Kent. 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 Gynn (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Gynn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.