2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gocek
An Anglicized Polish surname denoting someone from the village of Goczek.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Gocek. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gocek 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Gocek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gocek, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gocek
The surname Gocek is of Polish origin, originating in the late 15th or early 16th century from the Polish region of Pomerania. It likely derived from the archaic Polish word "goźć", meaning "guest" or "visitor". This name may have been given as a distinguishing moniker to someone who frequently traveled or was known for hosting guests.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the Gocek surname can be found in church records and village registries from the Pomeranian towns of Słupsk and Bytów during the 1500s. The name appeared with various spellings such as Gociek, Goczek, and Goczyk in these early documents.
In the 17th century, the Gocek surname is mentioned in several historical manuscripts related to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For example, a nobleman named Jan Gocek is recorded as owning land in the town of Mościce near Tarnów in 1632.
Over the centuries, the Gocek name has been carried by notable individuals across various fields. One such person was Józef Gocek (1798-1876), a Polish painter and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Another was Stanisław Gocek (1853-1908), a Polish agronomist and author of several books on agriculture and beekeeping.
In the early 20th century, Władysław Gocek (1887-1941) was a Polish military officer who served in World War I and later became a general in the Polish Army. During World War II, he was executed by the Nazis for his involvement in the Polish Underground State.
Another prominent figure was Zygmunt Gocek (1919-2005), a Polish writer and journalist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of the Silesian region. He was awarded the prestigious Knight's Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland for his literary contributions.
Gocek is also a well-known surname in other parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and the Czech Republic, likely due to the migration of Polish populations over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the historic Pomeranian region of modern-day northern Poland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gocek
Among Census respondents with the surname Gocek, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Gocek 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 Gocek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 109
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gocek
Gocek 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-10 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,371 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-19 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,999 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 15,371 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 17,999 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 Gocek 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 | #132,206 | #150,205 | -13.6% |
| Count | 128 | 109 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gocek bearers went from 128 to 109 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 17,999 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #150,205.
FAQ
Gocek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gocek?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Gocek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Gocek?
Gocek ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Gocek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Gocek.
Has Gocek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gocek went from 128 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Gocek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gocek, 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 Gocek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gocek 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 Gocek (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 Gocek mean?
An Anglicized Polish surname denoting someone from the village of Goczek. 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 Gocek (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 common is the surname Gocek?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Gocek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.