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

Gorski, 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 Gorski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gorski in America

Gorski is the 4882nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gorski surname appeared 7,213 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gorski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gorski 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 Gorski

The surname Gorski has its roots in Poland, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the Polish word "gora," meaning "mountain," combined with the suffix "-ski," which denotes a place of origin or residence. This suggests that the name was initially given to individuals who lived in or near mountainous regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gorski can be traced back to the 13th century in the historical regions of Lesser Poland and Mazovia. In these areas, the name was often associated with families residing in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains or the Świętokrzyskie Mountains.

Historical records from the 14th century mention a prominent figure named Jan Gorski, who served as a knight and diplomat in the court of King Casimir III the Great (1310-1370). Another notable bearer of the name was Wawrzyniec Gorski (1525-1601), a Polish nobleman, and humanist scholar who played a significant role in the Renaissance literary movement.

In the 16th century, the Gorski family was well-established in the town of Góra Kalwaria, located in the Masovian Voivodeship. This connection to the town's name, which means "Calvary Mountain," further reinforces the mountain-related origins of the surname.

During the 17th century, a branch of the Gorski family settled in the region of Greater Poland, where they acquired land and established themselves as landed gentry. One notable member of this branch was Stanisław Gorski (1624-1697), a military commander who fought in the Polish-Swedish War and the Polish-Ottoman War.

Another prominent individual bearing the Gorski surname was Konstanty Gorski (1792-1863), a Polish poet and translator who lived during the Romantic era. His works, including translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, were highly influential in Polish literary circles of the time.

Over the centuries, variations of the name emerged, such as Górski, Gorsky, and Gorskiy, reflecting the diverse regions where bearers of the name resided, including parts of present-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gorski

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

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

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

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