2000
#34,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Gosling
A surname derived from the Old English word "gosling," referring to a young goose.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 812 Americans carry the last name Gosling. That puts it at #34,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 422,111 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gosling 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 Gosling with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
812
1 in 422,111
Census rank
#34,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
708
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 708 bearers of the surname Gosling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gosling
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gosling 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 Gosling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 623
- Black or African American4.5% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 32
- Two or more races1.7% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gosling
Gosling 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
#33,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 681
+55 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 760 places
2020
#34,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 708
+27 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,259 | 626 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,499 | 681 | 0.23 | +55 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 760 places |
| 2020 | #34,480 | 708 | 0.24 | +27 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 981 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 Gosling 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 | #33,499 | #34,480 | -2.9% |
| Count | 681 | 708 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.24 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gosling bearers went from 681 to 708 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 981 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,499 to #34,480.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gosling
FAQ
Gosling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gosling?
Name Census estimates that about 812 living Americans carry the surname Gosling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 422,111 residents.
How common is Gosling?
Gosling ranks #34,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 708 people with the surname Gosling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (812), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Gosling.
Has Gosling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gosling went from 681 recorded bearers to 708. That is an increase of 27 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,499 to #34,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Gosling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gosling, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Gosling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gosling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (4.5%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Gosling (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 Gosling mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word "gosling," referring to a young goose. 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 Gosling (0.24 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 Gosling?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Gosling at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.