2000
#34,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 629
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Rare Last name
Goswami
A surname referring to a Hindu priest or teacher from Bengal.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,414 Americans carry the last name Goswami. That puts it at #13,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,986 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goswami 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 Goswami with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,986
Census rank
#13,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,105 bearers of the surname Goswami in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goswami, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goswami
The surname "GOSWAMI" originated in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the regions of Bengal and Assam. It has its roots in Sanskrit, the ancient language of the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words "go" meaning "cow" and "swami" meaning "lord" or "master."
Historically, the Goswami surname was associated with Brahmin scholars, priests, and spiritual leaders who were revered for their knowledge and teachings. It was a title bestowed upon those who had attained a high level of spiritual and intellectual achievement. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries, during the time of the Bhakti movement in India.
One of the earliest and most notable figures with the Goswami surname was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534), a Hindu mystic and a key figure in the Bhakti movement. He was considered an avatar (incarnation) of Lord Krishna and played a significant role in spreading the teachings of Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism focused on the worship of Lord Vishnu.
Another important figure was Jiva Goswami (1513-1598), a renowned scholar and a close associate of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He wrote extensively on Vaishnava philosophy and established the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which continues to be influential in modern Hinduism.
In the 16th century, the Goswami surname was also associated with the six Goswamis of Vrindavan, a group of scholars and devotees who played a crucial role in establishing the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition and preserving the teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Another notable figure was Rupa Goswami (1489-1564), one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan. He was a renowned poet, philosopher, and a prominent figure in the Bhakti movement. His works, such as the Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu, are considered significant contributions to the Vaishnava literature.
Sanatana Goswami (1488-1558), the elder brother of Rupa Goswami, was also one of the six Goswamis of Vrindavan. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his works on Vaishnava philosophy and devotional poetry.
Over the centuries, the Goswami surname has been associated with scholars, spiritual leaders, and intellectuals in various parts of India, particularly in the regions of Bengal, Assam, and Uttar Pradesh. It continues to hold a respected status within the Hindu community, reflecting its historical connections to spiritual and intellectual pursuits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goswami
Among Census respondents with the surname Goswami, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Goswami 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 Goswami surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.0% · 1,936
- White3.8% · 80
- Two or more races2.9% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goswami
Goswami 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
#20,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,267
+638 bearers (+101.4%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 13,285 places
2020
#13,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,105
+838 bearers (+66.1%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 7,069 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,114 | 629 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,829 | 1,267 | 0.43 | +638 bearers (+101.4%) | Up 13,285 places |
| 2020 | #13,760 | 2,105 | 0.70 | +838 bearers (+66.1%) | Up 7,069 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 Goswami 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 | #20,829 | #13,760 | 33.9% |
| Count | 1,267 | 2,105 | 66.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.70 | 63.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goswami bearers went from 1,267 to 2,105 (+66.1% change). The surname moved up 7,069 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,829 to #13,760.
FAQ
Goswami surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goswami?
Name Census estimates that about 2,414 living Americans carry the surname Goswami. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,986 residents.
How common is Goswami?
Goswami ranks #13,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,105 people with the surname Goswami. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,414), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Goswami.
Has Goswami become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goswami went from 1,267 recorded bearers to 2,105. That is an increase of 838 (+66.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,829 to #13,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Goswami?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goswami, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Goswami in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goswami appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.0%), White (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Goswami (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 Goswami mean?
A surname referring to a Hindu priest or teacher from Bengal. 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 Goswami (0.70 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 Goswami?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Goswami, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.