2000
#32,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Gorsline
A surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "goose-green" or "grassy locale."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 816 Americans carry the last name Gorsline. That puts it at #34,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 420,042 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gorsline 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.
Bearers in the US
816
1 in 420,042
Census rank
#34,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
712
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 712 bearers of the surname Gorsline in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorsline, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gorsline
The surname Gorsline originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Old English words "gors" meaning marsh or fen, and "lyne" meaning line or boundary, suggesting that the name referred to someone who lived near a marshy area or a boundary near a marsh.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the parish records of Weston Underwood, Buckinghamshire, where a Thomas Gorsline was recorded in 1597. The spelling variations at the time included Gorsline, Gorselyn, and Gorselyng.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records across different counties in England, including Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. For instance, a William Gorsline was recorded in the parish records of Kirby-le-Soken, Essex, in 1634.
The Gorsline surname was also present in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1672, where a John Gorsline was listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that by this time, the name had spread to other regions of England.
In the 18th century, several notable individuals bore the Gorsline surname. One such person was Samuel Gorsline (1722-1795), an English clergyman who served as the vicar of Stow-cum-Quy in Cambridgeshire.
Another individual of note was John Gorsline (1743-1823), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Canada. He was granted land in what is now Ontario for his military service.
As the name spread to other parts of the world through migration, it underwent further variations in spelling, including Gorslin, Gorslein, and Gorselyn. For example, in the United States, there are records of a Thomas Gorslyn who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
During the 19th century, the Gorsline surname continued to appear in various records and documents. One notable figure was William Gorsline (1816-1895), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Grosvenor Hotel.
Another individual worth mentioning is James Gorsline (1838-1912), an American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Bloomington, Illinois, from 1889 to 1891.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gorsline
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorsline, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gorsline 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 Gorsline surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 649
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 32
- Two or more races2.7% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 7
- Black or African American0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gorsline
Gorsline 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
#32,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 708
+45 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 167 places
2020
#34,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 712
+4 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 1,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,652 | 663 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,485 | 708 | 0.24 | +45 bearers (+6.8%) | Up 167 places |
| 2020 | #34,306 | 712 | 0.24 | +4 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 1,821 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 Gorsline 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 | #32,485 | #34,306 | -5.6% |
| Count | 708 | 712 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.24 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gorsline bearers went from 708 to 712 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 1,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,485 to #34,306.
FAQ
Gorsline surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gorsline?
Name Census estimates that about 816 living Americans carry the surname Gorsline. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 420,042 residents.
How common is Gorsline?
Gorsline ranks #34,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 712 people with the surname Gorsline. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gorsline.
Has Gorsline become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gorsline went from 708 recorded bearers to 712. That is an increase of 4 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,485 to #34,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Gorsline?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorsline, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gorsline in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (649 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gorsline appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gorsline (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 Gorsline mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly meaning "goose-green" or "grassy locale." 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 Gorsline (0.24 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 are called Gorsline?
Find out how many people have the surname Gorsline on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.