2000
#79,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 222
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Gjokaj
An Albanian surname derived from a personal name meaning "one who finds precious things".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 514 Americans carry the last name Gjokaj. That puts it at #50,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 666,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gjokaj 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
514
1 in 666,837
Census rank
#50,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
448
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 448 bearers of the surname Gjokaj in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 50441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gjokaj, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gjokaj
The surname "GJOKAJ" originates from Albania, a small country located in the Balkans region of Southeastern Europe. The name can be traced back to the early 15th century during the Ottoman Empire's occupation of the region.
It is believed that the name "GJOKAJ" is derived from an Albanian word meaning "shepherd" or "herder." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely individuals who worked as shepherds or herders, possibly in the mountainous regions of Albania.
Historical records from the 16th century mention a small village called "Gjokaj" located in the northern region of Albania, near the city of Shkodra. It is possible that the surname originated from this village, with families adopting the name to identify their place of origin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "GJOKAJ" can be found in a manuscript dated 1578, which details the ownership of land and properties in the region. The manuscript mentions a man named Gjon Gjokaj, who owned a large tract of land near the village of Gjokaj.
As the centuries passed, the surname "GJOKAJ" spread across Albania and beyond. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Pjetër Gjokaj (1867-1942), an Albanian Catholic priest and writer who played a significant role in the Albanian National Awakening movement.
2. Nikollë Gjokaj (1898-1966), an Albanian politician and one of the founders of the Albanian Communist Party.
3. Gjergj Gjokaj (1914-1979), an Albanian military officer and politician who served as the Minister of Defense during the communist regime.
4. Luan Gjokaj (born 1965), an Albanian businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Tirana from 2011 to 2015.
5. Zef Gjokaj (born 1980), an Albanian professional footballer who played as a defender for various clubs in Albania and Greece.
While the surname "GJOKAJ" may have originated from humble beginnings, it has since become a name associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to Albanian society, politics, and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gjokaj
Among Census respondents with the surname Gjokaj, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Gjokaj 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 Gjokaj surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 448
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gjokaj
Gjokaj 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
#53,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 387
+165 bearers (+74.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 26,257 places
2020
#50,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 448
+61 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 2,978 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #79,676 | 222 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,419 | 387 | 0.13 | +165 bearers (+74.3%) | Up 26,257 places |
| 2020 | #50,441 | 448 | 0.15 | +61 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 2,978 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 Gjokaj 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 | #53,419 | #50,441 | 5.6% |
| Count | 387 | 448 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.15 | 15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gjokaj bearers went from 387 to 448 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 2,978 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,419 to #50,441.
FAQ
Gjokaj surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gjokaj?
Name Census estimates that about 514 living Americans carry the surname Gjokaj. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 666,837 residents.
How common is Gjokaj?
Gjokaj ranks #50,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 448 people with the surname Gjokaj. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (514), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Gjokaj.
Has Gjokaj become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gjokaj went from 387 recorded bearers to 448. That is an increase of 61 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #53,419 to #50,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Gjokaj?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gjokaj, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gjokaj in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (448 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gjokaj appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Gjokaj (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 Gjokaj mean?
An Albanian surname derived from a personal name meaning "one who finds precious things". 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 Gjokaj (0.15 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 surname Gjokaj?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.