2000
#13,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Goetsch
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "götze," meaning a well digger or water tunneler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,111 Americans carry the last name Goetsch. That puts it at #15,346 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,366 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goetsch 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
2.1K
1 in 162,366
Census rank
#15,346
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,841 bearers of the surname Goetsch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15346th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goetsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goetsch
The surname Goetsch originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the areas that are now part of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "gotsch" or "gotz," which referred to a person of Slavic or Gothic descent.
One of the earliest mentions of the name Goetsch can be found in the records of the city of Lübeck in northern Germany, where a person named Nicolaus Goetsch was documented in 1290. It is believed that the name may have been initially used to identify individuals who had migrated from Slavic or Gothic regions to the German-speaking territories.
In the 14th century, the Goetsch name appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records across different regions of Germany. For instance, a Henricus Goetsch was recorded in the town of Zwickau in 1352, while a Johannes Goetsch was mentioned in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau in 1367.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Goetsch surname became more widespread across German-speaking areas, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Johann Goetsch (1539-1618), a German Protestant theologian and educator who served as the rector of the Latin school in Mühlhausen, Thuringia.
Another prominent figure with the Goetsch surname was Hans Goetsch (1597-1670), a German politician and jurist who held the position of burgomaster (mayor) of the city of Chemnitz in Saxony. He played a significant role in the administration and development of the city during the turbulent years of the Thirty Years' War.
In the 18th century, the name Goetsch continued to be found in various records across German-speaking regions. For example, Johann Gottlieb Goetsch (1703-1778) was a German Lutheran theologian and author who served as a pastor in Saxony and wrote several religious works.
The 19th century saw the further spread of the Goetsch surname, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields. One notable figure was Karl Goetsch (1832-1899), a German-American businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Goetsch Brewing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, which became one of the largest breweries in the region.
Throughout its history, the surname Goetsch has been associated with various place names and older spellings. For instance, the name has been spelled as "Götsch," "Götzsch," and "Gözsch" in different regions and records. Additionally, some places in Germany, such as Götschendorf and Götzingen, may have derived their names from the Goetsch surname or its variations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goetsch
Among Census respondents with the surname Goetsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Goetsch 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 Goetsch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 1,729
- Two or more races2.7% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goetsch
Goetsch 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
#15,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,961
-49 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,250 places
2020
#15,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,841
-120 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 290 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,806 | 2,010 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,056 | 1,961 | 0.66 | -49 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 1,250 places |
| 2020 | #15,346 | 1,841 | 0.62 | -120 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 290 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 Goetsch 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 | #15,056 | #15,346 | -1.9% |
| Count | 1,961 | 1,841 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.62 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goetsch bearers went from 1,961 to 1,841 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 290 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,056 to #15,346.
FAQ
Goetsch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goetsch?
Name Census estimates that about 2,111 living Americans carry the surname Goetsch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,366 residents.
How common is Goetsch?
Goetsch ranks #15,346 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,841 people with the surname Goetsch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Goetsch.
Has Goetsch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goetsch went from 1,961 recorded bearers to 1,841. That is a decrease of 120 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,056 to #15,346.
What does the Census say about the background of Goetsch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goetsch, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Goetsch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (1,729 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goetsch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Goetsch (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 Goetsch mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "götze," meaning a well digger or water tunneler. 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 Goetsch (0.62 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 Goetsch?
Want to know how many people are called Goetsch? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.