2000
#2,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,059
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.10
Uncommon Last name
Gossett
An English occupational surname for a keeper of goats or a goatherd, derived from the Old English "gāt" (goat).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,336 Americans carry the last name Gossett. That puts it at #3,275 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gossett 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
12K
1 in 27,785
Census rank
#3,275
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,758 bearers of the surname Gossett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3275th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gossett
The surname Gossett is derived from the Old English word "gos" meaning a goose, and the diminutive suffix "-et", meaning little or young. Originally a nickname referring to someone with some perceived trait reminiscent of a goose, such as a waddling gait or loud voice.
The name first appeared in records from the county of Cheshire in England during the 13th century. An early recorded instance is that of Roger Gosset, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1287.
By the late medieval period, the surname had spread across other parts of northern England and into Scotland. The Gossetts were an established family in Lancashire, where they held estates near Blackburn and Burnley from the 15th century onwards.
Instances of the name appear in the Register of the Priory of Wetherhal in Cumberland in the early 1500s, with references to a John Gosset and Roger Gosset. Around this time, variants like Gossite, Gossyt, and Goscett also emerged.
One of the earliest known bearers was William Gossett, born around 1480 in Chorley, Lancashire. He served as a soldier under King Henry VIII and fought in the Battle of Flodden in 1513 against the Scots.
The Gossetts of Rivington near Chorley gained prominence over several generations, with Edmund Gossett (1587-1649) being a landed gentleman and supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.
Over the centuries, several spelling variations developed, including Gosset, Gossite, Goscett, Gossitt, and Gossat. Branches of the family eventually migrated to Ireland, particularly County Antrim, from the 17th century onwards.
A notable bearer was Thomas Gossett (1765-1857), an Anglican priest from Yorkshire who became the Dean of Raphoe Cathedral in Ireland. Meanwhile, Edward Gossett (1796-1868) was a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later colonial campaigns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gossett
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gossett 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 Gossett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 8,984
- Black or African American7.9% · 847
- Two or more races4.2% · 453
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 377
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gossett
Gossett 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
#3,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,389
+330 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 171 places
2020
#3,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,758
-631 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 3.60
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,999 | 11,059 | 4.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,170 | 11,389 | 3.86 | +330 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 171 places |
| 2020 | #3,275 | 10,758 | 3.60 | -631 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 105 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 Gossett 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 | #3,170 | #3,275 | -3.3% |
| Count | 11,389 | 10,758 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.60 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gossett bearers went from 11,389 to 10,758 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,170 to #3,275.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gossett
FAQ
Gossett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gossett?
Name Census estimates that about 12,336 living Americans carry the surname Gossett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,785 residents.
How common is Gossett?
Gossett ranks #3,275 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,758 people with the surname Gossett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,336), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gossett.
Has Gossett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gossett went from 11,389 recorded bearers to 10,758. That is a decrease of 631 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,170 to #3,275.
What does the Census say about the background of Gossett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gossett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Gossett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (8,984 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gossett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Black (7.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Gossett (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 Gossett mean?
An English occupational surname for a keeper of goats or a goatherd, derived from the Old English "gāt" (goat). 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 Gossett (3.60 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 Gossett?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gossett? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.