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

Gora, 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 Gora surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gora in America

Gora is the 25833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gora surname appeared 953 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 Gora.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gora 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 Gora

The surname GORA has its origins in Poland, where it first emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the Polish word "gora," which means "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in a mountainous area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GORA surname can be found in the 1386 Akta Grodzkie, a collection of court records from the Krakow region. Here, a person named Jan GORA is mentioned in connection with a land dispute.

In the 16th century, the GORA name appears in various church records and tax rolls across Poland. For example, a Maciej GORA is listed as a landowner in the village of Wola Gora in 1532. This place name, which means "Mountain Village," further reinforces the connection between the surname and its geographical origins.

Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the GORA name remained mostly concentrated in the southern regions of Poland, particularly around the areas of Krakow and the Carpathian Mountains. However, as people began to migrate more widely, the name spread to other parts of the country and even beyond its borders.

One notable bearer of the GORA surname was Stanisław GORA (1592-1649), a Polish priest and theologian who served as the rector of the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Another was Józef GORA (1804-1866), a Polish writer and journalist who played an active role in the November Uprising against Russian rule.

In the 19th century, the GORA name also gained prominence in the United States, as many Polish immigrants arrived seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Franciszek GORA (1857-1925), a businessman and community leader who helped establish the Polish National Alliance, a fraternal organization that supported Polish immigrants in America.

Other notable individuals with the GORA surname include Kazimierz GORA (1888-1975), a Polish painter and art teacher who was part of the Colorist movement, and Józef GORA (1910-1990), a Polish athlete who competed in the long jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gora

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

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

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

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