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

Gorka, 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 Gorka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gorka in America

Gorka is the 25865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gorka surname appeared 951 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 Gorka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gorka 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 Gorka

The surname Gorka originates from Poland, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Polish word "gora," meaning "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in the mountains or hilly regions of Poland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gorka surname can be found in the Teki Naruszewicza, a collection of historical documents from the 15th century. This collection mentions a noble family called Gorka, who hailed from the Poznan region of western Poland.

In the 16th century, the Gorka family rose to prominence in Poland, with several members holding important positions in the government and military. One notable figure was Lukasz Gorka (1482-1547), a Polish nobleman, diplomat, and military commander who served as the Grand Crown Marshal of Poland.

Another important historical figure with the Gorka surname was Jan Gorka (1538-1592), a Polish nobleman, politician, and military leader. He served as the Voivode of Kalisz and played a significant role in the Polish-Muscovite War of 1577-1582.

In the 17th century, the Gorka family continued to be influential in Poland, with several members serving as members of the Polish Sejm (parliament) and holding other important positions.

One of the most famous individuals with the Gorka surname was Stanislaw Gorka (1615-1673), a Polish nobleman and military commander who fought against the Swedes during the Deluge, a series of wars between Poland and Sweden in the mid-17th century.

Another notable figure was Jozef Gorka (1780-1863), a Polish general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as the Governor of the Russian-controlled Kingdom of Poland.

The Gorka surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and the Czech Republic, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its origins can be traced back to the mountain regions of Poland in the early medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gorka

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

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

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

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