2000
#82,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Gonchar
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "potter" or "maker of clay products".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 360 Americans carry the last name Gonchar. That puts it at #67,683 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 952,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gonchar 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
360
1 in 952,095
Census rank
#67,683
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
314
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 314 bearers of the surname Gonchar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67683rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gonchar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gonchar
The surname "GONCHAR" is of Ukrainian origin, with roots dating back to the 15th century in the regions of modern-day western Ukraine and eastern Poland. The name is derived from the Ukrainian word "honchar," meaning "potter" or "maker of ceramic vessels."
During the medieval era, the Gonchar surname was commonly found among families involved in the craft of pottery, particularly in the cities of Lviv and Khmilnyk. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 1492 municipal registry from the town of Khmilnyk, which lists a potter named Hryhorii Honchar.
In the 16th century, the Gonchar surname gained prominence in the Cossack communities of the Zaporozhian Sich, a semi-autonomous Cossack republic located in central Ukraine. Several notable Cossack leaders bore the name, including Petro Gonchar (1590-1648), who played a significant role in the Khmelnytsky Uprising against Polish rule.
The Gonchar family was also well-established in the region of Galicia (modern-day western Ukraine) during the 18th and 19th centuries. A notable figure from this period was Ivan Gonchar (1823-1889), a renowned Ukrainian writer and historian who chronicled the cultural traditions of the Hutsul people in the Carpathian Mountains.
Another prominent individual with the Gonchar surname was Arkhyp Gonchar (1847-1923), a Ukrainian painter and art teacher who contributed significantly to the development of Ukrainian realist painting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 20th century, Oles Honchar (1918-1995), a celebrated Ukrainian novelist and public intellectual, became one of the most influential literary figures in Soviet Ukraine. His works, such as "The Cathedral" and "The Seed-Bearers," explored themes of Ukrainian identity, tradition, and the impact of totalitarianism.
While the Gonchar surname originated in western Ukraine, it has since spread to other regions of the country and beyond, carried by migration and diaspora communities. Despite its humble origins as a potter's name, the Gonchar surname has left an indelible mark on Ukrainian history, culture, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gonchar
Among Census respondents with the surname Gonchar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gonchar 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 Gonchar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 297
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 8
- Two or more races1.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gonchar
Gonchar 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
#78,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
+29 bearers (+13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 3,452 places
2020
#67,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 314
+71 bearers (+29.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 10,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #82,019 | 214 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #78,567 | 243 | 0.08 | +29 bearers (+13.6%) | Up 3,452 places |
| 2020 | #67,683 | 314 | 0.11 | +71 bearers (+29.2%) | Up 10,884 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 Gonchar 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 | #78,567 | #67,683 | 13.9% |
| Count | 243 | 314 | 29.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.11 | 31.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gonchar bearers went from 243 to 314 (+29.2% change). The surname moved up 10,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #78,567 to #67,683.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gonchar
FAQ
Gonchar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gonchar?
Name Census estimates that about 360 living Americans carry the surname Gonchar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 952,095 residents.
How common is Gonchar?
Gonchar ranks #67,683 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 314 people with the surname Gonchar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Gonchar.
Has Gonchar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gonchar went from 243 recorded bearers to 314. That is an increase of 71 (+29.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #78,567 to #67,683.
What does the Census say about the background of Gonchar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gonchar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Gonchar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (297 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gonchar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Gonchar (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 Gonchar mean?
A surname of Ukrainian origin meaning "potter" or "maker of clay products". 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 Gonchar (0.11 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 Americans have the surname Gonchar?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.