2000
#59,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 319
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Gocke
A variant spelling of the German surname Gocke referring to a messenger or courier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 484 Americans carry the last name Gocke. That puts it at #52,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 708,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gocke 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
484
1 in 708,170
Census rank
#52,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
422
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 422 bearers of the surname Gocke in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gocke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gocke
The surname Gocke is of German origin, with its earliest roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "gokkel," which was a term used to refer to a rooster or cockerel. This connection suggests that the name may have originally denoted a family with some association to poultry farming or a locality known for its chickens.
In the earliest records, the surname appears to have been concentrated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the cities of Bremen and Hamburg. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Petri Church in Bremen, where a certain Hans Gocke was mentioned in an entry dated 1578.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Gocke began to spread more widely across Germany, with various spellings emerging, such as Gocken, Gockel, and Göcke. This dispersion was likely facilitated by the migration of families seeking new opportunities or fleeing conflicts and upheavals that plagued parts of Europe during that period.
While no direct mentions of the name Gocke have been found in historical manuscripts such as the Domesday Book, there are records of individuals bearing similar surnames, like Gockelen and Gokelingh, in medieval documents from the Low Countries and neighboring regions.
One notable figure who carried the Gocke surname was Johann Friedrich Gocke, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1698 in the town of Halberstadt. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and wrote extensively on theological and philosophical topics.
Another individual of historical significance was Carl Wilhelm Gocke, a German botanist and entomologist who lived from 1796 to 1857. He made significant contributions to the study of insects and plants, and his work was widely recognized and respected within the scientific community of his time.
In the realm of literature, August Friedrich Gocke, born in 1766 and died in 1824, was a German poet and writer who gained recognition for his contributions to the Romantic movement. His poetic works often explored themes of nature and the human condition.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Carl Gocke, a German industrialist and entrepreneur who lived from 1825 to 1910. He played a pivotal role in the development of the textile industry in Germany and was a prominent figure in the city of Bielefeld.
Finally, in the realm of sports, Werner Gocke, a German field hockey player born in 1932, represented West Germany in the 1960 and 1964 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the latter event.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gocke
Among Census respondents with the surname Gocke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gocke 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 Gocke surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 383
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 20
- Two or more races2.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gocke
Gocke 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
#58,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 346
+27 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 689 places
2020
#52,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 422
+76 bearers (+22.0%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 5,606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,293 | 319 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,604 | 346 | 0.12 | +27 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 689 places |
| 2020 | #52,998 | 422 | 0.14 | +76 bearers (+22.0%) | Up 5,606 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 Gocke 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 | #58,604 | #52,998 | 9.6% |
| Count | 346 | 422 | 22.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.14 | 17.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gocke bearers went from 346 to 422 (+22.0% change). The surname moved up 5,606 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,604 to #52,998.
FAQ
Gocke surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gocke?
Name Census estimates that about 484 living Americans carry the surname Gocke. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 708,170 residents.
How common is Gocke?
Gocke ranks #52,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 422 people with the surname Gocke. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (484), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Gocke.
Has Gocke become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gocke went from 346 recorded bearers to 422. That is an increase of 76 (+22.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #58,604 to #52,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Gocke?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gocke, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gocke in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gocke appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gocke (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 Gocke mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Gocke referring to a messenger or courier. 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 Gocke (0.14 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 Gocke?
Find out how common the surname Gocke is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.