How Many People Are Named Guss?

An estimated 141 people in the United States have the first name Guss. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 81 years old, and Guss peaked in popularity in 1920 with 39 births that year.

Below you will find a full statistical profile of Guss as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Guss paired with any surname.

Key Insights

  • With an average bearer age of 81, Guss is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1955.

Estimated Living Americans

141

About 1 in 2,430,882 people in the U.S.

Rarity

Very Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Predicted Gender

Male

100.0% confidence

Average Age

81

years old

Peak Year

1920

39 births

Total Registered

1,136

since 1880

Gender Distribution for Guss

Guss is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 1,136 total births registered, 100.0% were male.

Male 1,136 (100.0%)
Female 0 (0.0%)

Guss as a male name

Ranked #6,717 in 1982

5 male births in 1982

Peak: 1920 (39 births)

Guss in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census recorded 207 people with the first name Guss, which placed it at #37,614 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.

Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.

Gender in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, Guss was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 207 people with this name in that snapshot, 98.1% were male and 1.9% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 100.0% of the time.

Census Count

207

people with this name

Census Rank

#37,614

among Census first names

Frequency Rate

0.07

per 100,000 people

Male 203 (98.1%)
Female 4 (1.9%)

Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, the first name Guss was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (53.30%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (25.94%) and Hispanic (15.09%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Guss in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

White
53.30%
Black
25.94%
Hispanic
15.09%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.47%
American Indian/Alaska Native
2.36%
Two or More Races
2.83%

2020 Census demographic breakdown

Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Guss.

Group Share Count
White 53.30% 113
Black 25.94% 55
Hispanic 15.09% 32
Two or More Races 2.83% 6
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.36% 5
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.47% 1

The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.

Guss: Popularity Over Time

SSA records for Guss span from the 1880s to the 1980s, covering 10 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 275 babies were registered. Guss has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.

0 8 16 23 31 39 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980

Guss by Decade

How has Guss tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.

Decade Total Male Female
1880s 128 128 0
1890s 113 113 0
1900s 118 118 0
1910s 234 234 0
1920s 275 275 0
1930s 110 110 0
1940s 81 81 0
1950s 48 48 0
1960s 24 24 0
1980s 5 5 0

Guss by State

Birth registrations for Guss span all 6 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Alabama, Georgia, Texas. The lowest are in South Carolina, Louisiana, Arkansas. On average, about 18 Gusss were registered per state.

Guss + Last Name Combinations

How many people share a full name with Guss as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Guss: Questions and Answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Guss?

We estimate approximately 141 people named Guss are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,430,882 Americans share this first name.

Is Guss a common name?

Guss is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 69.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 1,136 births have been registered with this name since 1880.

When was Guss most popular?

Guss reached peak popularity in 1920, when 39 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Guss is approximately 81 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.

How common was Guss in the 2020 Census?

The 2020 Census recorded 207 people with the first name Guss. That placed it at #37,614 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.07 people per 100,000.

Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?

Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Guss was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.

What does the Census say about the gender split for Guss?

In the 2020 Census snapshot, Guss was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 98.1% male and 1.9% female.

What does the Census say about the background of people named Guss?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Guss was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (53.30%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (25.94%) and Hispanic (15.09%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?

The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.

Is Guss a male name?

Guss is predominantly male. 100.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.

Why can Guss have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Guss peaked in 1920, and the average living bearer is about 81 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.

How many Guss Smiths are there?

To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Guss Smith, Guss Johnson, Guss Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this data come from?

Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination