2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gossell
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "grassy nook" or "grassy hill".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Gossell. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gossell 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.
Bearers in the US
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Gossell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gossell
The surname Gossell has its origins in the English counties of Suffolk and Norfolk, originating in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "gos" meaning a goose and "heal" meaning a nook or corner of land, suggesting that the name initially referred to someone who lived in an area frequented by geese.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327, where a William Gossill is mentioned. This variation in spelling was common in medieval times due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions. The name is also found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Norfolk from 1381, where it is spelled as Gosseld.
The Gossell surname can be traced back to various place names in East Anglia, such as Gossel's Green in Hoxne, Suffolk, and Gosselby in Lincolnshire. These place names likely originated from the same root words as the surname, further reinforcing its connection to the region.
In the 16th century, the Gossell family established itself in the town of Wymondham, Norfolk. John Gossell (1521-1589) was a prominent member of the family and served as a justice of the peace for the county. His son, Robert Gossell (1558-1632), was a respected lawyer and Member of Parliament for Thetford.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Gossell (1675-1748), a London merchant and philanthropist who endowed several charities and schools in the city. His legacy lives on through the Gossell's Park area in Bethnal Green, which was named after him.
In the 18th century, the Gossell family spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lancashire. One member, John Gossell (1730-1811), was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur who established a textile manufacturing business in Leeds.
The surname Gossell has also been associated with various notable figures throughout history, such as Sir Edmund Gossell (1824-1901), a British diplomat who served as Minister to Portugal, and Sir Martin Gossell (1847-1923), a distinguished civil servant and member of the Privy Council.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gossell
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gossell 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 Gossell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 93
- Two or more races9.3% · 10
- Black or African American2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gossell
Gossell 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,291 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-24 bearers (-18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,814 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,291 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.3%) | Down 21,814 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 Gossell 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 | #129,825 | #151,639 | -16.8% |
| Count | 131 | 107 | -18.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gossell bearers went from 131 to 107 (-18.3% change). The surname moved down 21,814 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #151,639.
FAQ
Gossell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gossell?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Gossell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Gossell?
Gossell ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Gossell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gossell.
Has Gossell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gossell went from 131 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 24 (-18.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Gossell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossell, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.3%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Gossell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gossell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Two or More Races (9.3%), Black (2.8%). 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 Gossell (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 Gossell mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "grassy nook" or "grassy hill". 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 Gossell (0.04 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 have the last name Gossell?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Gossell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.