2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gosal
An occupational surname derived from Sanskrit word 'go' meaning cattle and 'shala' meaning shed, referring to one who worked in a cattle shed or as a cowherd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 306 Americans carry the last name Gosal. That puts it at #77,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,120,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gosal 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 Gosal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
306
1 in 1,120,112
Census rank
#77,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
267
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 267 bearers of the surname Gosal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gosal
The surname Gosal is believed to have originated in the state of Punjab, located in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent. The name can be traced back to the 16th century and is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "gotra," which means "clan" or "lineage."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gosal can be found in the Sikh historical text known as the "Guru Granth Sahib," which was compiled during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The text mentions a Sikh warrior named Gosal Singh, who fought alongside Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth and last living Sikh Guru.
During the Mughal period, which spanned from the 16th to the 19th century, the Gosal surname was prominent among the Jat community, an influential agricultural and landowning group in Punjab. Several Jat chieftains bearing the Gosal name were known for their bravery and military prowess in battles against the Mughal rulers.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Bhai Maha Singh Gosal played a significant role in the Sikh resistance against the Afghan invaders. He was a skilled warrior and a close companion of Nawab Kapur Singh, a legendary Sikh military leader of that era.
Another notable individual with the Gosal surname was Sardar Bahadur Sir Ganda Singh Gosal (1881-1945), a distinguished politician and diplomat who served as a member of the Council of India and represented India at the League of Nations.
In more recent times, the Gosal surname has gained recognition through individuals such as Dr. Gurdev Singh Gosal (1923-2007), a renowned physicist and educationist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and served as the Vice-Chancellor of Punjab University.
While the Gosal surname originated in Punjab, it has since spread to other parts of India and around the world due to migration and diaspora. However, the name remains deeply rooted in its Punjabi heritage and continues to hold significance within the Sikh and Jat communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gosal
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gosal 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 Gosal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.1% · 254
- White2.2% · 6
- Two or more races2.2% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gosal
Gosal 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
#86,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
+81 bearers (+59.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 32,231 places
2020
#77,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267
+50 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 8,543 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,005 | 217 | 0.07 | +81 bearers (+59.6%) | Up 32,231 places |
| 2020 | #77,462 | 267 | 0.09 | +50 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 8,543 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 Gosal 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 | #86,005 | #77,462 | 9.9% |
| Count | 217 | 267 | 23.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 27.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gosal bearers went from 217 to 267 (+23.0% change). The surname moved up 8,543 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,005 to #77,462.
FAQ
Gosal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gosal?
Name Census estimates that about 306 living Americans carry the surname Gosal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,120,112 residents.
How common is Gosal?
Gosal ranks #77,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 267 people with the surname Gosal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Gosal.
Has Gosal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gosal went from 217 recorded bearers to 267. That is an increase of 50 (+23.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #86,005 to #77,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Gosal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosal, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gosal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (254 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gosal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.1%), White (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Gosal (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 Gosal mean?
An occupational surname derived from Sanskrit word 'go' meaning cattle and 'shala' meaning shed, referring to one who worked in a cattle shed or as a cowherd. 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 Gosal (0.09 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 share the surname Gosal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.