Explore the Family Name Gurganus
The meaning of Gurganus
Altered form of Gurgany, an Anglicized form of the Welsh personal name Gwrgenau, composed of the elements gwr ‘man, warrior’ + cenau ‘whelp, young dog’, a term used in Welsh heroic poetry for a warrior who was ferocious in attack. Compare Gainous, Ganus, and Gurganious. History: The name Gurgany is recorded as early as 1617 in Jamestown VA, when Edward Gurgany from England patented a land grant at Curles Neck VA.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gurganus in the United States?
Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Gurganus has seen a slight decline in its popularity ranking, falling from 14,521 in 2000 to 15,020 in 2010, marking a change of -3.44. However, the count of people with this surname increased slightly over the same period from 1,882 to 1,966, representing a 4.46% growth. The proportion per 100,000 people decreased by -4.29, from 0.7 in 2000 to 0.67 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,521 | #15,020 | -3.44% |
| Count | 1,882 | 1,966 | 4.46% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.7 | 0.67 | -4.29% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gurganus
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Gurganuses identifying as White decreased from 96.81% to 94.71%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase from 0.58% to 2.19%. Those identifying as Black saw a decrease from 1.22% to 0.86%. There was an increase in those identifying with two or more races from 1.22% to 1.53%. Lastly, the census started recording data for those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010, with 0.41% and 0.31% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 96.81% | 94.71% | -2.17% |
| Hispanic | 0.58% | 2.19% | 277.59% |
| Two or More Races | 1.22% | 1.53% | 25.41% |
| Black | 1.22% | 0.86% | -29.51% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.41% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.31% | 0% |