2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gomperts
An occupational surname of Dutch origin referring to a maker of leather goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Gomperts. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gomperts 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Gomperts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gomperts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gomperts
The surname Gomperts has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "gomp" and "perts," which referred to a person who was quick-witted or had a sharp tongue. The name was initially spelled as "Gompertz" or "Gompertzen," reflecting the Dutch linguistic influences of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gomperts can be found in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where a family by the name of Gompertzen resided in the late 16th century. This family was believed to be of Jewish descent, and their name was likely an adaptation of a German or Yiddish surname.
In the 17th century, the name Gomperts began to appear in various historical records across the Netherlands. For instance, a merchant named Jacob Gomperts was mentioned in a trade document from the city of Rotterdam in 1652. Additionally, a prominent Rabbi named Moses Gomperts was widely respected in the Jewish community of Amsterdam during the mid-1600s.
As the Gomperts family spread across Europe, variations in the spelling of the name emerged. In Germany, the name was sometimes spelled as "Gompertz," while in England, it was often written as "Gompertz" or "Gumpertz."
One notable figure bearing the Gomperts surname was Benjamin Gompertz (1779-1865), a British mathematician and actuary. He is best known for developing the Gompertz law of mortality, which models the exponential increase in death rates with age. Another individual of note was Sir Ralph Gomperts (1832-1902), a British lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several years.
In the United States, the Gomperts name gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Herman Gomperts (1837-1917) was a German-born businessman who founded the Gomperts & Co. trading company in New York City. His son, Leon Gomperts (1876-1964), followed in his footsteps and became a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist.
It is worth mentioning that the Gomperts surname has also been associated with various place names in the Netherlands, such as the village of Gompertingen and the town of Gompertshuizen. These place names likely contributed to the evolution and spread of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gomperts
Among Census respondents with the surname Gomperts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gomperts 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 Gomperts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 100
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gomperts
Gomperts 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,033 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,705 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 10,033 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,705 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 Gomperts 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 | #156,044 | #152,339 | 2.4% |
| Count | 104 | 106 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gomperts bearers went from 104 to 106 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,705 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #152,339.
FAQ
Gomperts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gomperts?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Gomperts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Gomperts?
Gomperts ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Gomperts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Gomperts.
Has Gomperts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gomperts went from 104 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Gomperts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gomperts, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Gomperts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gomperts 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 (5.7%). 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 Gomperts (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 Gomperts mean?
An occupational surname of Dutch origin referring to a maker of leather goods. 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 Gomperts (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 many people have the last name Gomperts?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Gomperts on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.