2000
#111,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gorte
A toponymic surname derived from a place name referring to a small farmstead or hamlet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Gorte. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gorte 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Gorte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorte, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gorte
The surname GORTE is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch word "gort," which means "groats" or "hulled grain." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with or traded in groats or grains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GORTE can be found in the Leiden Archives, a collection of historical records from the Dutch city of Leiden. In a document dated 1387, a man named Ghert Gortenzoon is mentioned, which translates to "Ghert, son of Gorten."
Another early reference to the name GORTE comes from the Guelderland Manuscripts, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the Dutch province of Guelderland. In a document from the 15th century, a man named Henric van der Gorten is recorded.
During the 16th century, the GORTE name began to spread across the Netherlands and into neighboring regions. In 1542, a man named Pieter Gorten was born in Nijmegen, a city in the eastern Netherlands. He later became a prominent merchant and trader in the city.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the GORTE surname was Jan van der Gorte, a Dutch painter and engraver who was born in Amsterdam in 1620. He is known for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting scenes from the Netherlands.
Another individual of note was Dirk GORTE, a Dutch explorer and navigator who lived in the late 17th century. He led several expeditions to the East Indies and is credited with discovering and mapping several islands in the region.
In the 18th century, a man named Willem GORTE was born in Rotterdam in 1732. He became a prominent businessman and investor in the city and was involved in various trade ventures with other European countries.
Throughout the 19th century, the GORTE name continued to be found across the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. One notable figure from this time was Pieter GORTE, a Dutch philosopher and writer who was born in Haarlem in 1824. He authored several books on ethics and moral philosophy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gorte
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorte, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gorte 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 Gorte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 10
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gorte
Gorte 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-17 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,491 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-19 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,055 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,119 | 147 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 19,491 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 18,055 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 Gorte 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 | #130,610 | #148,665 | -13.8% |
| Count | 130 | 111 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gorte bearers went from 130 to 111 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 18,055 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #148,665.
FAQ
Gorte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gorte?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Gorte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Gorte?
Gorte ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Gorte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gorte.
Has Gorte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gorte went from 130 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Gorte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorte, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Gorte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gorte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (9.0%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Gorte (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 Gorte mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name referring to a small farmstead or hamlet. 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 Gorte (0.04 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 common is the surname Gorte?
Find out how many people are called Gorte on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.