2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gawthorp
A place name referring to someone from Gawthorp, a village in Lancashire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Gawthorp. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gawthorp 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 Gawthorp with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Gawthorp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gawthorp, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gawthorp
The surname Gawthorp is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to the region of Yorkshire in northern England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gat" meaning "goat" and "thorp" meaning "village" or "hamlet." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a hamlet or village where goats were kept or raised.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gawthorp can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a person named Galtorp, which is likely an earlier spelling variation of Gawthorp.
In the 13th century, historical records from the county of Yorkshire mention a place called Gauthorp, which is believed to be the origin of the surname. This place name is derived from the same Old English roots as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the region.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Gawthorp throughout history is John Gawthorp, a prominent English clergyman who lived in the 15th century. He served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1447 until his death in 1459.
Another figure of note is William Gawthorp, a 16th-century English poet and playwright who was born in Yorkshire around 1510. His works, though not widely known today, provide valuable insights into the literary culture of the time.
In the 17th century, the Gawthorp family established themselves as landowners and gentry in Yorkshire. Thomas Gawthorp (1605-1679) was a prominent member of this lineage, serving as a justice of the peace and holding significant landholdings in the region.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Richard Gawthorp (1718-1798), a renowned architect and surveyor who was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in Yorkshire, including churches and country estates.
Finally, in the 19th century, Edward Gawthorp (1836-1912) made a name for himself as a pioneering industrialist and entrepreneur. He founded the Gawthorp Engineering Company, which played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Yorkshire during the Industrial Revolution.
These examples illustrate the long and varied history of the surname Gawthorp, which has its roots firmly planted in the northern English county of Yorkshire and has been associated with individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gawthorp
Among Census respondents with the surname Gawthorp, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gawthorp 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 Gawthorp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Two or more races7.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gawthorp
Gawthorp 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+11 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 454 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-23 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 454 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 21,171 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 Gawthorp 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 | #127,494 | #148,665 | -16.6% |
| Count | 134 | 111 | -17.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gawthorp bearers went from 134 to 111 (-17.2% change). The surname moved down 21,171 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #148,665.
FAQ
Gawthorp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gawthorp?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Gawthorp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Gawthorp?
Gawthorp ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Gawthorp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gawthorp.
Has Gawthorp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gawthorp went from 134 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Gawthorp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gawthorp, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Gawthorp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gawthorp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (7.2%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Gawthorp (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 Gawthorp mean?
A place name referring to someone from Gawthorp, a village in Lancashire, England. 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 Gawthorp (0.04 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 share the surname Gawthorp?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.