2000
#55,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Gholar
A variant English surname originally given to someone with a pale or sickly complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 640 Americans carry the last name Gholar. That puts it at #41,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 535,554 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gholar 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
640
1 in 535,554
Census rank
#41,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
558
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 558 bearers of the surname Gholar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gholar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gholar
The surname Gholar is of British origin, specifically tracing its roots back to the county of Somerset in the southwest of England during the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gol" or "gul," meaning a yellow or golden hue, and "ar," referring to a river or stream. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a river or stream with a yellow or golden color, potentially due to the presence of certain minerals or sediments in the water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gholar can be found in the parish records of the village of Somerton, Somerset, where a William Gholar was documented as residing in the year 1587. These records also indicate that the name was occasionally spelled as "Gholer" or "Gholour" during that time period, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common in those eras.
The surname Gholar appears to have been concentrated in the Somerset region for several centuries, with small pockets of families bearing the name also found in neighboring counties such as Dorset and Devon. In the late 17th century, a Thomas Gholar (1662-1734) from the village of Crewkerne, Somerset, gained recognition as a skilled blacksmith and metalworker, with some of his ironwork still adorning local churches and buildings to this day.
As the British Empire expanded and colonization efforts increased, the Gholar name began to spread beyond the boundaries of Somerset. In the early 19th century, a John Gholar (1789-1862) from the town of Yeovil, Somerset, emigrated to the British colony of Nova Scotia, where he established a successful timber business and left a lasting legacy through his descendants.
Another notable figure bearing the Gholar surname was Elizabeth Gholar (1825-1898), who was born in the village of Ilminster, Somerset. She became a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights, founding one of the first schools for girls in the city of Bristol and campaigning tirelessly for equal educational opportunities for females during the Victorian era.
Other individuals of historical significance with the surname Gholar include:
1. Sir Edward Gholar (1842-1922), a British diplomat who served as the Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1895 to 1902.
2. Henry Gholar (1876-1944), an American politician and lawyer who served as the Attorney General of Louisiana from 1920 to 1924.
3. Alice Gholar (1899-1982), a British artist and sculptor known for her works depicting rural life in Somerset and Devon.
4. James Gholar (1922-2008), an American civil rights activist and community organizer who played a pivotal role in the desegregation efforts in the southern United States during the 1960s.
5. Dr. Samantha Gholar (born 1971), a renowned British archeologist and expert on ancient Roman settlements in Somerset, who has made significant contributions to the field through her extensive excavations and research.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gholar
Among Census respondents with the surname Gholar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gholar 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 Gholar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.6% · 489
- Two or more races5.7% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 21
- White2.0% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gholar
Gholar 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
#48,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 431
+89 bearers (+26.0%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 7,070 places
2020
#41,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 558
+127 bearers (+29.5%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 6,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,971 | 342 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #48,901 | 431 | 0.15 | +89 bearers (+26.0%) | Up 7,070 places |
| 2020 | #41,948 | 558 | 0.19 | +127 bearers (+29.5%) | Up 6,953 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 Gholar 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 | #48,901 | #41,948 | 14.2% |
| Count | 431 | 558 | 29.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.19 | 24.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gholar bearers went from 431 to 558 (+29.5% change). The surname moved up 6,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #48,901 to #41,948.
FAQ
Gholar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gholar?
Name Census estimates that about 640 living Americans carry the surname Gholar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 535,554 residents.
How common is Gholar?
Gholar ranks #41,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 558 people with the surname Gholar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (640), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Gholar.
Has Gholar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gholar went from 431 recorded bearers to 558. That is an increase of 127 (+29.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #48,901 to #41,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Gholar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gholar, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gholar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gholar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (87.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Gholar (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 Gholar mean?
A variant English surname originally given to someone with a pale or sickly complexion. 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 Gholar (0.19 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 last name Gholar?
You can see how many people have the last name Gholar on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.