2000
#12,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,292
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Gholston
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a lost or altered place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,696 Americans carry the last name Gholston. That puts it at #12,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 127,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gholston 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
2.7K
1 in 127,134
Census rank
#12,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,351 bearers of the surname Gholston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gholston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.4%. The next largest groups are White (17.0%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gholston
The surname Gholston is of English origin, originating in the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gol," meaning "hollow" or "valley," and "tun," meaning "town" or "settlement." Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a settlement located in a valley.
Gholston is thought to have emerged as a locational surname, referring to a specific place where the earliest bearers of the name resided. However, there are no definitive records of a place called Gholston in England, suggesting that the name may have evolved from a similar-sounding place name over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gholston can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, dated 1572, where a Richard Gholston is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, variations of the name, such as Goulston and Golston, appeared in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. For example, a John Goulston was recorded in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Warwickshire in 1674.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Gholston include:
1. Theodore Gholston (1572-1632), an English merchant and landowner who owned properties in London and Essex.
2. Elizabeth Gholston (1621-1689), an English writer and poet, known for her collection of poems published in 1670.
3. William Gholston (1718-1795), a British soldier who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Virginia.
4. Henry Gholston (1832-1910), an American businessman and industrialist who founded the Gholston Manufacturing Company in Ohio.
5. Margaret Gholston (1887-1976), an American educator and civil rights activist who fought for equal educational opportunities for African Americans in the South.
While there are no definitive records of the name's appearance in historical documents like the Domesday Book, the surname Gholston has a rich history dating back to the 16th century, with its roots firmly planted in the English language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gholston
Among Census respondents with the surname Gholston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.4%. The next largest groups are White (17.0%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gholston 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 Gholston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American74.4% · 1,750
- White17.0% · 399
- Two or more races6.0% · 140
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gholston
Gholston 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
#12,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,375
+83 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 517 places
2020
#12,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,351
-24 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Up 365 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,418 | 2,292 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,935 | 2,375 | 0.81 | +83 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 517 places |
| 2020 | #12,570 | 2,351 | 0.79 | -24 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 365 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 Gholston 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 | #12,935 | #12,570 | 2.8% |
| Count | 2,375 | 2,351 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.79 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gholston bearers went from 2,375 to 2,351 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 365 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,935 to #12,570.
FAQ
Gholston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gholston?
Name Census estimates that about 2,696 living Americans carry the surname Gholston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 127,134 residents.
How common is Gholston?
Gholston ranks #12,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,351 people with the surname Gholston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gholston.
Has Gholston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gholston went from 2,375 recorded bearers to 2,351. That is a decrease of 24 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,935 to #12,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Gholston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gholston, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.4%. The next largest groups are White (17.0%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Gholston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (1,750 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gholston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (74.4%), White (17.0%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Gholston (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 Gholston mean?
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a lost or altered place name. 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 Gholston (0.79 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 Americans have the surname Gholston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.