Explore the Family Name Gess

The meaning of Gess

German: probably from a variant of the ancient Germanic personal name Gero, a short form of the various personal names formed with gār, gēr ‘spear, lance’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Gess in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Gess has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname was ranked 25,329th in popularity across the United States but fell to 26,833rd by 2010. This represents a change of -5.94% in its rank. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname dropped from 918 in 2000 to 906 in 2010, showcasing a decline of approximately 1.31%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Gess per 100k population also saw a decrease of 8.82%.

20002010Change
Rank#25,329#26,833-5.94%
Count918906-1.31%
Proportion per 100k0.340.31-8.82%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gess

When it comes to ethnicity, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the majority of individuals with the surname Gess identify as White, seeing a slight increase from 91.39% in 2000 to 92.72% in 2010. The number of individuals identifying as Hispanic saw a significant rise of 75%, increasing from 1.20% in 2000 to 2.10% in 2010. Conversely, the percentage of those identifying as Black saw a substantial drop from 5.77% to 3.86% during the same period. Data related to Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities were suppressed for privacy, and the individuals identifying as two or more races decreased from 1.09% to 0.99%.

20002010Change
White91.39%92.72%1.46%
Black5.77%3.86%-33.1%
Hispanic1.2%2.1%75%
Two or More Races1.09%0.99%-9.17%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.54%0%0%