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

Gottschalk, 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 Gottschalk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gottschalk in America

Gottschalk is the 6733rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gottschalk surname appeared 5,010 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gottschalk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gottschalk 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 Gottschalk

The surname Gottschalk has its origins in Germany, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German words "Gott," meaning "God," and "schalk," meaning "servant" or "follower." The name originally referred to someone who was a servant or dedicated follower of God.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gottschalk can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the 9th century, which mentions a person named Godescalcus. This suggests that variations of the name were already in use during that time.

In the 9th century, there was a notable figure named Gottschalk of Orbais, a theologian and monk who was a prominent figure in the Predestination Controversy. He was born around 808 and died around 867 or 868 AD.

During the Middle Ages, the name Gottschalk was particularly common in the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Franconia in present-day Germany. It is also found in various historical records from these areas, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae and the Urkundenbuch der Reichsstadt Frankfurt am Main.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Gottschalk was Johann Gottschalk, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1516 to 1592. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.

Another notable person with this surname was Johann Christoph Gottschalk, a German-born artist and engraver who lived from 1662 to 1724. He was known for his engravings depicting landscapes and architectural scenes.

The surname Gottschalk has also been found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Gottschalksmühle, a village in Saxony-Anhalt, and Gottschalkenreuth, a municipality in Bavaria.

While the surname is predominantly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in central and eastern Germany, where it was originally associated with religious devotion and service to God.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gottschalk

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

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 Gottschalk 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 Gottschalk 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 Gottschalk was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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