2000
#7,178
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Gober
A French occupational surname derived from "gobeur," meaning a greedy person or one who devours or gulps down food.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,493 Americans carry the last name Gober. That puts it at #8,102 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gober 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
4.5K
1 in 76,286
Census rank
#8,102
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,918 bearers of the surname Gober in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8102nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gober, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gober
The surname Gober is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the early medieval period around the 9th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "gobr," which meant "farmer" or "peasant." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who worked the land or lived in a rural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gober can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a person named "Gobarus" is mentioned in a document dated to the year 1010 AD.
In the 12th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Gobere" and "Gobir," in records from the regions of Franconia and Bavaria. This indicates that the name had spread across different parts of what is now modern-day Germany.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Gober began to appear in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration patterns. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Gober in the Netherlands and France from this period.
One notable example is Johannes Gober, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1450 to 1520. He was a professor at the University of Erfurt and is known for his writings on religious topics.
Another individual of historical significance was Hans Gober, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1530 to 1591. He was renowned for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, which depicted religious and mythological scenes.
In the 16th century, the name Gober can be found in various place names across Germany, such as Gobersdorf and Goberstadt, suggesting that some individuals with this surname had become landowners or founded settlements.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable individuals with the surname Gober emerged in various fields. One example is Johann Gober, a German composer and organist who lived from 1637 to 1704 and is known for his contributions to the development of baroque music.
Another notable figure was Georg Gober, a German botanist and naturalist who lived from 1708 to 1776. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life and is credited with the classification of numerous plant species.
While the surname Gober may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and various historical events. However, the name's roots can be traced back to the early medieval period in Germany, where it likely referred to someone who worked the land or lived in a rural area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gober
Among Census respondents with the surname Gober, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gober 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 Gober surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.4% · 2,995
- Black or African American15.2% · 594
- Two or more races4.4% · 171
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 120
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gober
Gober 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
#7,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,339
+53 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 477 places
2020
#8,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,918
-421 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 447 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,178 | 4,286 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,655 | 4,339 | 1.47 | +53 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 477 places |
| 2020 | #8,102 | 3,918 | 1.31 | -421 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 447 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 Gober 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 | #7,655 | #8,102 | -5.8% |
| Count | 4,339 | 3,918 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.31 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gober bearers went from 4,339 to 3,918 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 447 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,655 to #8,102.
FAQ
Gober surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gober?
Name Census estimates that about 4,493 living Americans carry the surname Gober. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,286 residents.
How common is Gober?
Gober ranks #8,102 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,918 people with the surname Gober. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Gober.
Has Gober become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gober went from 4,339 recorded bearers to 3,918. That is a decrease of 421 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,655 to #8,102.
What does the Census say about the background of Gober?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gober, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Gober in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (2,995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gober appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.4%), Black (15.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Gober (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 Gober mean?
A French occupational surname derived from "gobeur," meaning a greedy person or one who devours or gulps down food. 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 Gober (1.31 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 are called Gober?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Gober on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.