2000
#16,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,554
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Gossage
A surname derived from an English place name meaning "goose pasture" or "goose meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,601 Americans carry the last name Gossage. That puts it at #19,386 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 214,088 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gossage 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 Gossage with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 214,088
Census rank
#19,386
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,396 bearers of the surname Gossage in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19386th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossage, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gossage
The surname Gossage is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "gos," which means goose, and the suffix "-age," which denotes a location or place. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a place where geese were kept or raised.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Gossage can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire, a census-like survey conducted in England in the late 13th century. The entry lists a William Goshage, indicating that variations of the spelling were used at that time.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various documents, including the Cartulary of Oseney Abbey in Oxfordshire, which mentions a John Gossage in 1349. This record provides evidence of the surname's usage during this period.
During the 16th century, the name was recorded in several English parish registers. In 1568, a baptismal record from St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, lists the christening of a child named Robert Gossage. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by that time.
One notable individual with the surname Gossage was John Gossage, a 17th-century English merchant and politician. He was born in 1635 and served as a Member of Parliament for Derby from 1685 to 1687.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the birth record of William Gossage, born in 1720 in Cheshire. Another individual of note was James Gossage, a British engraver and painter who lived from 1738 to 1798.
The 19th century saw the surname Gossage continue to be used in England. One notable figure was Robert Gossage, a British architect born in 1809. He designed several buildings in London, including the former National Bank building on Threadneedle Street.
As the surname spread across England, it also appeared in various place names. For example, there is a village called Gossage Green in Staffordshire, which likely derived its name from the presence of individuals with the Gossage surname in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gossage include the British artist and photographer John Gossage, born in 1946, and the American writer and academic Howard Gossage, who lived from 1917 to 1969.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gossage
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossage, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gossage 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 Gossage surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 1,252
- Two or more races4.8% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gossage
Gossage 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
#18,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,498
-56 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.51
Rank movement Down 1,568 places
2020
#19,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,396
-102 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 919 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,899 | 1,554 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,467 | 1,498 | 0.51 | -56 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 1,568 places |
| 2020 | #19,386 | 1,396 | 0.47 | -102 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 919 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 Gossage 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 | #18,467 | #19,386 | -5.0% |
| Count | 1,498 | 1,396 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.51 | 0.47 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gossage bearers went from 1,498 to 1,396 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 919 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,467 to #19,386.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gossage
FAQ
Gossage surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gossage?
Name Census estimates that about 1,601 living Americans carry the surname Gossage. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 214,088 residents.
How common is Gossage?
Gossage ranks #19,386 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.47 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 1,396 people with the surname Gossage. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,601), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.47 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 Gossage.
Has Gossage become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gossage went from 1,498 recorded bearers to 1,396. That is a decrease of 102 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,467 to #19,386.
What does the Census say about the background of Gossage?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossage, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gossage in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,252 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gossage appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Gossage (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 Gossage mean?
A surname derived from an English place name meaning "goose pasture" or "goose meadow". 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 Gossage (0.47 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 are called Gossage?
See how many Americans have the surname Gossage on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.