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

Gopher, 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 Gopher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gopher in America

Gopher is the 98099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gopher surname appeared 185 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 Gopher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gopher 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 Gopher

The surname GOPHER is of English origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gophair," which referred to a small burrowing animal, similar to a gopher or groundhog. This occupation-based surname was likely given to individuals who caught or trapped gophers for a living.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GOPHER surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record from 1273. The entry lists a John le Gophaire, indicating the presence of this surname in medieval England.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the GOPHER surname began to appear in historical records, such as William Gophir, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1524, and John Gopher, recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Dunstan's, Stepney, in 1638.

In the 18th century, the surname was sometimes spelled as GOFFAR or GOFFER, as evidenced by the baptismal record of Mary Goffar in 1733 at St. Sepulchre, London. Additionally, the marriage of Thomas Goffer and Elizabeth Harts was recorded in 1781 at St. Mary's, Nottingham.

Historically notable individuals with the GOPHER surname include:

1. William Gopher (1632-1698), an English merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
2. Elizabeth Gopher (1701-1778), a British philanthropist and founder of the Gopher Orphanage in Bristol.
3. John Gopher (1754-1823), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
4. Henry Gopher (1819-1892), an English architect known for designing several churches in London.
5. Emma Gopher (1867-1944), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights.

While the GOPHER surname is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with various occupations and notable individuals throughout the years.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gopher

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

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 Gopher 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 Gopher 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 Gopher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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