2000
#3,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,646
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.21
Uncommon Last name
Gerard
A surname of French origin referring to a brave, strong, or hardy spearman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,098 Americans carry the last name Gerard. That puts it at #3,911 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,943 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerard 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 Gerard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,943
Census rank
#3,911
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,806 bearers of the surname Gerard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3911th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerard, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerard
The surname GERARD originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic name Gerard, which means "strong with a spear." The name is believed to have first appeared in the region of Brittany in northwestern France.
The earliest recorded mention of the surname GERARD can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book lists several individuals with the name GERARD, including Gerard de Tornai, who held land in Lincolnshire, England.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the surname GERARD began to emerge, such as Geraud, Gerrard, and Gerhart. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname GERARD was Girart de Roussillon, a legendary figure from the 8th century who was the Count of Vienne and a vassal of Charlemagne. Girart de Roussillon is the subject of an Old French chanson de geste (epic poem) written in the 12th century.
In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname GERARD was Étienne de GERARD, a French architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of the Cathedral of Metz in northeastern France.
Another historical figure with the surname GERARD was John GERARD, an English botanist and herbalist who lived from 1545 to 1612. He is known for his contributions to the study of plants and his publication of The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes.
In the 17th century, there was Louis GERARD, a Flemish painter and engraver who was born in 1593 and died in 1665. He was known for his religious paintings and engravings.
During the 18th century, a notable individual with the surname GERARD was François GERARD, a French painter who was born in 1770 and died in 1837. He is best known for his portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte and members of the imperial family.
Throughout history, the surname GERARD has also been associated with various place names, such as Gerardmer, a town in the Vosges region of eastern France, and Gerardville, a village in Belgium.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerard
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerard, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerard 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 Gerard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 7,069
- Black or African American9.8% · 866
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 410
- Two or more races3.7% · 328
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 106
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerard
Gerard 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
#3,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,075
+429 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#3,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,806
-269 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,767 | 8,646 | 3.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,914 | 9,075 | 3.08 | +429 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #3,911 | 8,806 | 2.95 | -269 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 3 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 Gerard 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 | #3,914 | #3,911 | 0.1% |
| Count | 9,075 | 8,806 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.08 | 2.95 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerard bearers went from 9,075 to 8,806 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,914 to #3,911.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gerard
FAQ
Gerard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerard?
Name Census estimates that about 10,098 living Americans carry the surname Gerard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,943 residents.
How common is Gerard?
Gerard ranks #3,911 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,806 people with the surname Gerard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gerard.
Has Gerard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerard went from 9,075 recorded bearers to 8,806. That is a decrease of 269 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,914 to #3,911.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerard, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Gerard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (7,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), Black (9.8%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Gerard (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 Gerard mean?
A surname of French origin referring to a brave, strong, or hardy spearman. 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 Gerard (2.95 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 common is the surname Gerard?
See how many people have the surname Gerard on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.