2000
#1,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.06
Uncommon Last name
Gore
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a triangular plot of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,453 Americans carry the last name Gore. That puts it at #1,452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,485 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gore 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gore with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,485
Census rank
#1,452
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,940 bearers of the surname Gore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gore, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gore
The surname Gore has its origins in England, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "gara," meaning a small triangular piece of land or a strip of unploughed land between fields.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "de la Gore," suggesting it may have initially referred to a place of residence or landholding.
In the 13th century, records show the name spelled as "atte Gore" and "de la Gore," indicating its association with a location or piece of land. It is possible that the name originated from a place called Gore, which was a small village in the county of Hertfordshire.
The first known bearer of the name was John de la Gore, who was born around 1220 in Hertfordshire. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas de la Gore, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War in the 14th century.
During the 16th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form, Gore. One prominent bearer was Sir John Gore, who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with Sir Ralph Gore, a successful merchant and Member of Parliament for Liverpool. His son, Sir John Gore, was a prominent lawyer and served as the Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1659 to 1660.
Another notable figure was Sir Francis Gore, who was born in 1769 and served as the Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario) from 1806 to 1811. He played a significant role in the development of the colony during his tenure.
The Gore family also produced several distinguished military officers, including Lieutenant General Sir John Gore, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1815.
Throughout history, the surname Gore has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Gore's Green in Buckinghamshire, Gore Farm in Oxfordshire, and Gore Hill in New South Wales, Australia, reflecting the geographical origins of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gore
Among Census respondents with the surname Gore, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gore 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 Gore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.2% · 16,330
- Black or African American21.4% · 5,132
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,101
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 620
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 590
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 167
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gore
Gore 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
#1,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,648
+1,199 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 8.69
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#1,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,940
-1,708 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 8.01
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,326 | 24,449 | 9.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,378 | 25,648 | 8.69 | +1,199 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #1,452 | 23,940 | 8.01 | -1,708 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 74 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 Gore 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 | #1,378 | #1,452 | -5.4% |
| Count | 25,648 | 23,940 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 8.69 | 8.01 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gore bearers went from 25,648 to 23,940 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,378 to #1,452.
FAQ
Gore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gore?
Name Census estimates that about 27,453 living Americans carry the surname Gore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,485 residents.
How common is Gore?
Gore ranks #1,452 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,940 people with the surname Gore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,453), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Gore.
Has Gore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gore went from 25,648 recorded bearers to 23,940. That is a decrease of 1,708 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,378 to #1,452.
What does the Census say about the background of Gore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gore, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.2% (16,330 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.2%), Black (21.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gore (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 Gore mean?
An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a triangular plot of land. 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 Gore (8.01 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 Gore?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gore? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.