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

Gosling, 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 Gosling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gosling in America

Gosling is the 33499th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gosling surname appeared 681 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 Gosling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gosling 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 Gosling

The surname Gosling is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "gosling," meaning a young goose or gosling. It likely originated as a descriptive nickname given to someone who kept or tended geese, or perhaps someone who exhibited characteristics associated with goslings, such as being noisy or clumsy.

The name first appeared in written records as early as the 13th century, with various spelling variations like Goslinge, Goseling, and Goselynge. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a person named Richard Gosling is mentioned.

In the 14th century, the surname Gosling is found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, indicating its presence in the region. The 1379 Poll Tax records list a certain John Gosling from Acaster Malbis, a village near York.

The Gosling surname has been historically associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Sir Francis Gosling (1476-1537), a prominent English merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1537. Another notable figure was Robert Gosling (1588-1642), an English clergyman and author who served as a chaplain to King Charles I.

In the 18th century, the Gosling family established a successful banking business in London. Robert Gosling (1704-1779) founded the bank Goslings & Sharpe, which later became part of Barclays Bank. His son, Sir Francis Gosling (1735-1811), was a prominent banker and Member of Parliament.

Other notable individuals with the surname Gosling include:

1. James Gosling (born 1955), a Canadian computer scientist and the creator of the Java programming language.
2. Amanda Gosling (born 1976), a Canadian visual artist known for her intricate paper cut-outs.
3. Ray Gosling (1939-2015), an English journalist and broadcaster, known for his work on gay rights and euthanasia.
4. William Gosling (1824-1879), an English architect responsible for designing several churches and buildings in London.
5. John Gosling (1909-2001), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire and Cambridge University.

The Gosling surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Gosling Green in Buckinghamshire, England, and Gosling Close in Oxfordshire, further reflecting its English origins and historical presence across different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gosling

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

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

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

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