2000
#12,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,370
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Gorecki
A Polish toponymic surname derived from the place name Górka, meaning "little hill" or "mound."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,445 Americans carry the last name Gorecki. That puts it at #13,606 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,186 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gorecki 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 Gorecki with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 140,186
Census rank
#13,606
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,132 bearers of the surname Gorecki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13606th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorecki, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gorecki
The surname Gorecki originated in Poland and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Polish word "góra," meaning "mountain" or "hill," and was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent geographical feature or came from a mountainous region.
In its early forms, the name appeared as Gorecki, Górecki, and Goretzki, among other spellings. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Teutonic Knights' records from 1283, which mentions a person named "Goreczko de Nakel."
During the medieval period, Gorecki was prevalent in the regions of Silesia and Lesser Poland, particularly around the towns of Krakow and Czestochowa. It was also found in the historical regions of Masovia and Pomerania.
Notable individuals with the surname Gorecki include Jan Gorecki (1510-1584), a Polish Renaissance painter and architect who worked on the Wawel Castle in Krakow. Another notable figure was Henryk Gorecki (1933-2010), a Polish composer best known for his Symphony No. 3, the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs."
Other historical figures bearing the Gorecki surname include Józef Gorecki (1813-1870), a Polish writer and translator, and Stanislaw Gorecki (1888-1939), a Polish military officer who fought in World War I and the Polish-Soviet War.
In the 16th century, the Gorecki family was recorded as landowners in the village of Gołkowice, near Krakow. The name also appeared in various historical documents, such as the Polish Nobility Records and the Heraldic Armorial of the Polish Nobility.
While the Gorecki surname is predominantly Polish, it has also been found in other Slavic countries, such as Ukraine and Belarus, due to migrations and border changes throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gorecki
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorecki, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gorecki 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 Gorecki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,980
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 89
- Two or more races1.3% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gorecki
Gorecki 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
#13,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,320
-50 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 1,096 places
2020
#13,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,132
-188 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 429 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,081 | 2,370 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,177 | 2,320 | 0.79 | -50 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 1,096 places |
| 2020 | #13,606 | 2,132 | 0.71 | -188 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 429 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 Gorecki 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 | #13,177 | #13,606 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,320 | 2,132 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.71 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gorecki bearers went from 2,320 to 2,132 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 429 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,177 to #13,606.
FAQ
Gorecki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gorecki?
Name Census estimates that about 2,445 living Americans carry the surname Gorecki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,186 residents.
How common is Gorecki?
Gorecki ranks #13,606 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,132 people with the surname Gorecki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,445), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gorecki.
Has Gorecki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gorecki went from 2,320 recorded bearers to 2,132. That is a decrease of 188 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,177 to #13,606.
What does the Census say about the background of Gorecki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorecki, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Gorecki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,980 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gorecki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Gorecki (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 Gorecki mean?
A Polish toponymic surname derived from the place name Górka, meaning "little hill" or "mound." 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 Gorecki (0.71 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 Gorecki?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.