Find out how popular the last name Gongaware is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gongaware.

Gongaware, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gongaware surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gongaware in America

Gongaware is the 43006th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gongaware surname appeared 503 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gongaware.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gongaware to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gongaware

The surname Gongaware originated in Germany, where it first appeared in historical records dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German words "gong" meaning "walk" and "wahr" meaning "truth," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who was known for being an honest and straightforward person.

In the early 17th century, the Gongaware surname began to spread across other parts of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and the Netherlands. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the Dutch town of Zwolle, where a man named Hans Gongaware was listed in the local census of 1624.

The Gongaware name made its way to the British Isles in the late 17th century, with some records indicating that a family by this surname settled in the Scottish Lowlands around this time. One notable bearer of the name was William Gongaware, a merchant who lived in Edinburgh in the early 1700s and was known for his extensive trade dealings with the Dutch.

As the 18th century progressed, the Gongaware surname spread further across Europe and eventually made its way to the American colonies. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the New World include Johannes Gongaware, who arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany in 1748, and Michael Gongaware, a soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

During the 19th century, the Gongaware surname became more widespread in the United States, with families bearing this name settling in various parts of the country. One notable individual from this era was Jacob Gongaware (1815-1892), a farmer and businessman from Ohio who played a significant role in the development of the local agricultural industry.

Throughout the centuries, several other notable individuals have borne the Gongaware surname. These include Johann Gongaware (1678-1742), a German theologian and philosopher; Sarah Gongaware (1802-1876), an American educator and advocate for women's rights; and William Gongaware (1864-1928), a prominent architect whose works can be found in several cities across the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gongaware

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gongaware.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gongaware was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gongaware has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gongaware was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gongaware, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!