2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gorth
An English surname derived from a place name possibly meaning "green hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Gorth. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gorth 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Gorth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gorth
The surname Gorth originated in the northern German state of Holstein during the late medieval period. Derived from the Old Saxon word "gort" meaning an enclosed homestead or farm, it likely referred to the occupation or residence of the initial bearer.
One of the earliest known references to the Gorth name appears in the town records of Kiel, Holstein in 1472, mentioning a Henrich Gorth. A similar spelling Gorde is found in the nearby village of Bordesholm from 1509.
By the 16th century, the Gorth surname had spread to other areas of northern Germany. Notable examples include Johann Gorth (1591-1662), a Lutheran theologian from Lübeck, and Hans Gorth (1617-1672), a master builder and architect active in Hamburg.
As Germans migrated across Europe in later centuries, the name appeared in records from Denmark, Sweden, England and beyond. Among these were Christoffer Gorth (1701-1779), a Danish sea captain, and Jakob Gorth (1765-1833), a Swedish merchant based in Gothenburg.
The 19th century saw several Gorths achieve prominence, such as the English engineer William Gorth (1819-1891), designer of railway bridges, and the German novelist Amalie Gorth (1827-1909). August Gorth (1859-1936) was a distinguished German jurist who served as president of the Reichsgericht, the supreme civil and criminal court.
Despite its Germanic roots, the Gorth surname also has a small presence in areas like France, Spain and Italy, likely due to migration over the centuries. One notable bearer was the Italian opera singer Giuseppe Gorth (1788-1865), who performed leading tenor roles across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gorth
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gorth 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 Gorth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gorth
Gorth 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,664 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+7 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,424 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,664 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 5,424 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 Gorth 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 | #150,452 | #145,028 | 3.6% |
| Count | 109 | 116 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gorth bearers went from 109 to 116 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 5,424 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #145,028.
FAQ
Gorth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gorth?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Gorth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Gorth?
Gorth ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Gorth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Gorth.
Has Gorth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gorth went from 109 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 7 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Gorth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.3%). 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 Gorth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gorth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (10.3%). 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 Gorth (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 Gorth mean?
An English surname derived from a place name possibly meaning "green 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 Gorth (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 many people have the surname Gorth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.