Gort last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Gort

Likely derived from a place name referring to an enclosed dwelling or farmstead.

Gort, 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 Gort surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gort in America

Gort is the 31824th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gort surname appeared 725 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 Gort.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gort 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 31824 28648 10.50%
Count 725 783 -7.69%
Proportion per 100k 0.25 0.29 -14.81%

The history of the last name Gort

The surname Gort is believed to have originated from Ireland. It is thought to be derived from the Irish Gaelic word "gort," which means "field" or "enclosed land." This suggests that the name may have been used to refer to someone who lived near or worked on cultivated fields.

In the early medieval period, many Irish surnames evolved from descriptive terms related to a person's occupation, location, or physical characteristics. The name Gort likely emerged as a locational surname, indicating that the original bearer lived near or worked on a particular field or area of enclosed land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gort can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a Gort family from County Sligo in the 14th century. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain regions of Ireland by that time.

In the 16th century, the Gort surname appeared in various historical records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were letters patent issued by the English Crown. One notable entry mentions a John Gort from County Westmeath in 1586.

Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Gort have achieved prominence in various fields. One notable figure was Viscount John Gort (1886-1970), a British military officer who served as the Governor of Gibraltar and later as the Governor of Malta during World War II.

Another notable Gort was Sir William Gort (1835-1914), a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 1899 to 1907.

In the literary world, the surname Gort was borne by Irish novelist and playwright Brendan Gort (1921-1997), known for his works exploring themes of Irish identity and the struggles of working-class life.

The name Gort has also appeared in various place names throughout Ireland, such as Gort, a town in County Galway, and Gortinure, a townland in County Donegal. These place names may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in different regions.

While the surname Gort is not among the most common Irish surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals throughout the centuries, reflecting the diverse narratives and experiences of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gort

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

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 Gort was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 64.69% 469
Non-Hispanic Black Only 6.34% 46
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.97% 7
Hispanic Origin 26.90% 195

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 Gort has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 64.69% 74.07% -13.52%
Black 6.34% 6.00% 5.51%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.89% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.97% 1.02% -5.03%
Hispanic 26.90% 18.01% 39.59%

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

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

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"Gort last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 16, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gort-surname-popularity/.

"Gort last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gort-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 October, 2024

Gort last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gort-surname-popularity/.

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