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

Goshay, 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 Goshay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goshay in America

Goshay is the 51610th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goshay surname appeared 403 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 Goshay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goshay 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.

The history of the last name Goshay

The surname GOSHAY has its origins in France, with the name first appearing in records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "goche," meaning "left-handed" or "crooked." This could suggest that the name was originally a descriptive nickname given to a person with a physical characteristic or trade that involved the use of the left hand.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GOSHAY name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Redon, a medieval cartulary from Brittany, where a certain Guillelmus Gochay is mentioned in a document dated 1187. The name also appears in various forms, such as Gochet and Gochart, in other medieval French records from the 13th and 14th centuries.

In the 15th century, the GOSHAY surname can be traced to the region of Normandy, where a family bearing the name owned land and held a minor noble title. The earliest known bearer of the name was Jean Goshay, born around 1420, who was a knight and landowner in the village of Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf.

As the surname spread across France, it underwent various spelling variations, including Gochay, Gochaye, and Gochet. One notable bearer of the name was Pierre Gochet, a French philosopher and theologian who lived from 1592 to 1628 and was known for his writings on logic and metaphysics.

In the 17th century, the GOSHAY name appeared in the records of the French colony of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada), where a family of that name settled in the 1640s. One of the earliest recorded Acadians with the surname was René Goshay, born in 1652, who was a farmer and fisherman in the village of Grand-Pré.

Another significant figure in history with the GOSHAY surname was Jean-Baptiste Goshay, a French soldier and explorer who was born in 1676 and served as a lieutenant in the French army. He is known for his exploration of the Mississippi River valley and his role in establishing French settlements in the region.

As the name spread beyond France, it underwent further spelling variations, with the GOSHAY form becoming more common in English-speaking regions. One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Goshay, an English author and historian who lived from 1822 to 1898 and wrote several books on the history of Yorkshire and the English Civil War.

Overall, the surname GOSHAY has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple countries, with its origins rooted in the medieval period of France. While the name has undergone various spelling changes over time, it has maintained a strong presence in historical records, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who have borne this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goshay

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

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 Goshay was:

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

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

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

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