2000
#4,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,352
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.73
Rare Last name
Gorski
A Polish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a mountain or hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,751 Americans carry the last name Gorski. That puts it at #5,029 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,221 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gorski 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 Gorski with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,221
Census rank
#5,029
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,759 bearers of the surname Gorski in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5029th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gorski
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gorski 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 Gorski surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 6,336
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 211
- Two or more races1.7% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 54
- Black or African American0.4% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gorski
Gorski 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
#4,882
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,213
-139 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 433 places
2020
#5,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,759
-454 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,449 | 7,352 | 2.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,882 | 7,213 | 2.45 | -139 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 433 places |
| 2020 | #5,029 | 6,759 | 2.26 | -454 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 147 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 Gorski 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 | #4,882 | #5,029 | -3.0% |
| Count | 7,213 | 6,759 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.45 | 2.26 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gorski bearers went from 7,213 to 6,759 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 147 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,882 to #5,029.
FAQ
Gorski surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gorski?
Name Census estimates that about 7,751 living Americans carry the surname Gorski. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,221 residents.
How common is Gorski?
Gorski ranks #5,029 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,759 people with the surname Gorski. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gorski.
Has Gorski become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gorski went from 7,213 recorded bearers to 6,759. That is a decrease of 454 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,882 to #5,029.
What does the Census say about the background of Gorski?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorski, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Gorski in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (6,336 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gorski appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Gorski (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 Gorski mean?
A Polish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or on a mountain or hill. 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 Gorski (2.26 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 Gorski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Gorski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.