The surname George
A Latin occupational surname, carried by 128,625 people in the United States.
Pronounced /dʒɔːdʒ/ 1 syllable Soundex G620 Also a first name
Origin
Latin origin
Name of an early saint, from Middle English George, from Latin Geōrgius, from Ancient Greek Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgĭos), from γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer, earth worker”), from γῆ (gê, “earth”) (combining form γεω- (geō-)) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”) Doublet of Jorge and Geevarghese. The aircraft autopilot sense is probably from George DeBeeson, who patented an early (1931) autopilot system, and/or a reference to the expression let George do it. The Pullman porter sense derives from George Pullman, who hired Black people to staff his sleeping cars, and the patrons of the service seeing the Black people as servants of George Porter, much like how a slave was named after the master.
George is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.
One of 91 Latin surnames on this site.
Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How common it is
2010 US Census
There were 128,625 people named George in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,400 Americans. That is up 7.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 119,778.
Who is named George
Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census
66% of people named George identified as white (not Hispanic), 18% as Black (not Hispanic) and 7.6% as Asian and Pacific Islander.
- White (not Hispanic) 66%
- Black (not Hispanic) 18%
- Asian and Pacific Islander 7.6%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.2%
- American Indian and Alaska Native 2.2%
- Two or more races 2.0%
Famous Georges
52 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Henry GeorgeAmerican political economist and journalist (1839–1897)
- Paul GeorgeAmerican basketball player (born 1990)
- Melissa GeorgeAustralian actress, born 1976
- Gladys GeorgeAmerican actress (1904–1954)
- Brian GeorgeBritish actor, born 1952
- Elizabeth GeorgeAmerican mystery and thriller writer, born 1949
- Susan GeorgeAmerican and French political and social scientist, activist and writer (1934-2026)
- Christopher GeorgeAmerican actor (1931–1983)
- Pete GeorgeAmerican weightlifter (1929–2021)
- Jason Winston GeorgeAmerican actor and model (born 1972)
- Lynda Day GeorgeAmerican actress, born 1944
- Lowell GeorgeAmerican musician (1945-1979)
Notable Georges come mostly from the United States (39), Australia (5) and the United Kingdom (5).
Spellings and sound-alikes
Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling
Other Latin surnames
Questions
- Where does the surname George come from?
- Name of an early saint, from Middle English George, from Latin Geōrgius, from Ancient Greek Γεώργῐος (Geṓrgĭos), from γεωργός (geōrgós, “farmer, earth worker”), from γῆ (gê, “earth”) (combining form γεω- (geō-)) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”) Doublet of Jorge and Geevarghese. The aircraft autopilot sense…
- How common is the surname George?
- 128,625 people in the United States had the surname George in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,400 Americans. It ranked 235th of 162,253 surnames.
- What ethnicity is the surname George?
- In the 2010 Census, 66% of people named George identified as white (not Hispanic), and 18% as Black (not Hispanic).
- Who is the most famous person named George?
- Henry George, American political economist and journalist (1839–1897), followed by Paul George.
- Where is the surname George most common?
- Wikidata records people named George in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom and 2 other countries.
- How do you pronounce George?
- George is /dʒɔːdʒ/, one syllable.
- What type of surname is George?
- George is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
- Is the surname George getting more or less common?
- More common. 119,778 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 128,625 in 2010, up 7.4%.
- Is George also a first name?
- Yes. George is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.