2000
#12,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,248
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Golub
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "dove" or "pigeon."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,533 Americans carry the last name Golub. That puts it at #13,240 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Golub 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
2.5K
1 in 135,316
Census rank
#13,240
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,209 bearers of the surname Golub in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13240th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Golub, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Golub
The surname "GOLUB" is of Slavic origin, with roots tracing back to areas of Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. The name derives from the Slavic word "golub," which means "pigeon" or "dove." This connection to the bird suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who had a particular association with pigeons or was known for their resemblance to these birds.
In the early historical records, the name appears with various spellings, including "Golub," "Golubow," and "Golubov." One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Velvet Book, a 14th-century registry of Polish nobility and landowners. Here, the name "Golub" is mentioned in connection with a landholding family from the Volyn region, which was then part of the Kingdom of Poland.
During the 15th century, the name is recorded in several Russian chronicles and manuscripts. Notably, a merchant named Ivan Golub is mentioned in the chronicles of Novgorod, a prominent trading center in medieval Russia. This suggests that the name had already gained a foothold among the merchant class and urban population by that time.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where a certain Stanisław Golub served as a military commander during the Polish-Muscovite War (1609-1618). His exploits are documented in various historical accounts of the period, cementing the name's association with military prowess.
Another notable figure bearing the surname "Golub" was Timofey Golub, a Ukrainian Cossack leader who played a role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule in the mid-17th century. His name is recorded in various Cossack chronicles and documents from that era.
In the 18th century, a Russian scientist and explorer named Grigory Golub made significant contributions to the exploration of Siberia and the Russian Far East. His name is immortalized in the naming of several geographical features, such as the Golub Bay and the Golub River, located in the Kamchatka Peninsula.
As the centuries progressed, the name "Golub" continued to be found across various regions of Eastern Europe, with individuals bearing the surname making their mark in various fields, including literature, politics, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Golub
Among Census respondents with the surname Golub, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Golub 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 Golub surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 2,084
- Two or more races2.7% · 60
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Golub
Golub 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
#12,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,364
+116 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 352 places
2020
#13,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,209
-155 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,634 | 2,248 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,986 | 2,364 | 0.80 | +116 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 352 places |
| 2020 | #13,240 | 2,209 | 0.74 | -155 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 254 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 Golub 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 | #12,986 | #13,240 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,364 | 2,209 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.74 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Golub bearers went from 2,364 to 2,209 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,986 to #13,240.
FAQ
Golub surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Golub?
Name Census estimates that about 2,533 living Americans carry the surname Golub. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,316 residents.
How common is Golub?
Golub ranks #13,240 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,209 people with the surname Golub. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,533), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Golub.
Has Golub become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Golub went from 2,364 recorded bearers to 2,209. That is a decrease of 155 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,986 to #13,240.
What does the Census say about the background of Golub?
Among Census respondents with the surname Golub, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Golub in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (2,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Golub appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Golub (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 Golub mean?
A surname of Slavic origin meaning "dove" or "pigeon." 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 Golub (0.74 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 Golub?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Golub, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.