Find out how popular the last name Gotay is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gotay.

Gotay, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gotay surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gotay in America

Gotay is the 25064th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gotay surname appeared 991 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gotay.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gotay to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gotay

The surname Gotay has its origins in Spain, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "gota," meaning "drop" or "droplet." This could suggest that the name originally referred to a person who lived near a body of water or a location known for its natural springs or water sources.

Early records indicate that the Gotay name was prevalent in the regions of Andalusia and Catalonia, where variations such as Gotai, Gotey, and Gotai were also found. The name may have been initially associated with a specific place or village, but over time, it spread across other parts of Spain and eventually to other parts of the world.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Gotay surname can be found in the Archives of Seville, where a document from 1589 references a certain Juan Gotay, a landowner from the town of Arcos de la Frontera. This historical record provides evidence of the name's existence during the late 16th century in southern Spain.

As the Spanish Empire expanded its reach, the Gotay name began to appear in various colonies and territories. In the 17th century, there are records of individuals with the Gotay surname in the Philippines, which was then a Spanish colony. One notable figure was Pedro Gotay, a Spanish military officer who served in the Philippines during the late 1600s.

In the 18th century, the Gotay name gained prominence in Puerto Rico, where it is still relatively common today. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Puerto Rico dates back to 1712, with the birth of José Gotay in the city of San Juan. Over the following centuries, several notable individuals with the Gotay surname emerged in Puerto Rico, including:

1. Agustín Gotay (1825-1901), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives.
2. Rafael Gotay (1859-1931), a celebrated poet and writer who was a key figure in the Puerto Rican literary movement of the late 19th century.
3. María Luisa Gotay (1876-1957), a pioneering educator and feminist who advocated for women's rights and education in Puerto Rico.
4. Antonio Gotay (1890-1968), a renowned painter and sculptor who was instrumental in developing the modern art movement in Puerto Rico.
5. José Gotay (1923-2007), a highly respected physician and researcher who made significant contributions to the field of tropical medicine.

While the Gotay surname has been most prevalent in Spain, Puerto Rico, and other Spanish-speaking regions, it has also spread to various parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its roots can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, where it emerged as a distinctive surname with possible connections to geographic locations or natural features.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gotay

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gotay.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gotay was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gotay has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gotay was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gotay, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!