Explore the Family Name Guernsey
The meaning of Guernsey
English (southern): habitational name from the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. The name of the island is from the Old Norse ey ‘island’, with an uncertain first element, perhaps the male personal name Grani in the genitive case with original -ar, or from a genitive case form of grǫn ‘pine’. This surname is now rare in Britain.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Guernsey in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Guernsey saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Guernsey was ranked 12,566th in terms of frequency, but by 2010 it had fallen to 13,376th, marking a 6.45% decrease. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of people with the Guernsey name increased marginally from 2,261 to 2,277. However, when accounting for population growth, the proportion of individuals with the surname per 100,000 people decreased by 8.33%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,566 | #13,376 | -6.45% |
| Count | 2,261 | 2,277 | 0.71% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.84 | 0.77 | -8.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Guernsey
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the surname Guernsey identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, although there was a slight decrease from 96.24% to 94.20%. The largest change was seen within the Hispanic community, which experienced a notable increase from 0.93% to 2.37%. There were also small increases in the number of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black, while the percentage of those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased slightly. The percentage of individuals identifying with two or more races remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from 1.42% to 1.49% over the ten-year period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.24% | 94.2% | -2.12% |
| Hispanic | 0.93% | 2.37% | 154.84% |
| Two or More Races | 1.42% | 1.49% | 4.93% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.79% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0.57% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.66% | 0.57% | -13.64% |