2000
#1,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,967
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.40
Uncommon Last name
Guidry
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wine barrels or tubs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,959 Americans carry the last name Guidry. That puts it at #1,745 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guidry 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.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 14,929
Census rank
#1,745
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,021 bearers of the surname Guidry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1745th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guidry, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guidry
The surname Guidry originated from France and is believed to have its roots in the Normandy region. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "guidon," meaning a standard or banner, which was often carried by a guide or leader in military campaigns. The earliest known spelling of the name was "Guidon" or "Guidoné."
The name is first mentioned in historical records dating back to the 11th century, during the time of the Norman Conquest of England. It is believed that individuals bearing this surname may have accompanied William the Conqueror and his Norman forces during the invasion of England in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property conducted in England in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a "Guidon de Brocqueville" as a landholder in the county of Wiltshire.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Guidon," "Guydon," and "Guyden," in records from the Normandy region of France. These records suggest that the name may have been associated with individuals who held positions of authority or leadership, perhaps as military guides or standard-bearers.
Notable individuals with the surname Guidry throughout history include:
1. Jean Guidry (c. 1680-1756), a French-Canadian settler and farmer who was among the early pioneers of the Acadian colony in present-day Nova Scotia.
2. Pierre Guidry (1745-1818), a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer who played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the Louisiana Territory.
3. Émilie Guidry (1823-1892), a renowned Cajun folk artist and weaver from Louisiana, known for her intricate and colorful textiles.
4. Édouard Guidry (1864-1942), a French-American educator and author who contributed to the preservation of Cajun culture and language in Louisiana.
5. Lucille Guidry (1909-1999), an influential Cajun musician and songwriter from Louisiana, celebrated for her contributions to the Cajun music tradition.
While the name Guidry is most commonly associated with the Acadian and Cajun populations of Louisiana and parts of Canada, it has also spread to other regions through migration and intermarriage over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guidry
Among Census respondents with the surname Guidry, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Guidry 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 Guidry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.3% · 14,684
- Black or African American18.4% · 3,686
- Two or more races3.6% · 717
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 633
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 203
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guidry
Guidry 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
#1,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,600
+633 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 6.98
Rank movement Down 94 places
2020
#1,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,021
-579 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 6.70
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,645 | 19,967 | 7.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,739 | 20,600 | 6.98 | +633 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 94 places |
| 2020 | #1,745 | 20,021 | 6.70 | -579 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 6 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 Guidry 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 | #1,739 | #1,745 | -0.3% |
| Count | 20,600 | 20,021 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 6.98 | 6.70 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guidry bearers went from 20,600 to 20,021 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,739 to #1,745.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Guidry
FAQ
Guidry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guidry?
Name Census estimates that about 22,959 living Americans carry the surname Guidry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,929 residents.
How common is Guidry?
Guidry ranks #1,745 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,021 people with the surname Guidry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,959), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Guidry.
Has Guidry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guidry went from 20,600 recorded bearers to 20,021. That is a decrease of 579 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,739 to #1,745.
What does the Census say about the background of Guidry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guidry, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.3%. The next largest groups are Black (18.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Guidry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (14,684 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guidry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.3%), Black (18.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Guidry (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 Guidry mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wine barrels or tubs. 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 Guidry (6.70 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 people have the surname Guidry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.