2000
#6,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,448
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.65
Rare Last name
Gottschalk
A German surname composed of the elements "God" and "servant," denoting someone in service to God or the church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,579 Americans carry the last name Gottschalk. That puts it at #7,955 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gottschalk 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
4.6K
1 in 74,854
Census rank
#7,955
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,993 bearers of the surname Gottschalk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7955th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottschalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gottschalk
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottschalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gottschalk 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 Gottschalk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,694
- Two or more races3.1% · 122
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 107
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- Black or African American0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gottschalk
Gottschalk 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
#6,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,010
+562 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 220 places
2020
#7,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,993
-1,017 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 1,222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,953 | 4,448 | 1.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,733 | 5,010 | 1.70 | +562 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 220 places |
| 2020 | #7,955 | 3,993 | 1.34 | -1,017 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 1,222 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 Gottschalk 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 | #6,733 | #7,955 | -18.1% |
| Count | 5,010 | 3,993 | -20.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.34 | -21.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gottschalk bearers went from 5,010 to 3,993 (-20.3% change). The surname moved down 1,222 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,733 to #7,955.
FAQ
Gottschalk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gottschalk?
Name Census estimates that about 4,579 living Americans carry the surname Gottschalk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,854 residents.
How common is Gottschalk?
Gottschalk ranks #7,955 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 3,993 people with the surname Gottschalk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Gottschalk.
Has Gottschalk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gottschalk went from 5,010 recorded bearers to 3,993. That is a decrease of 1,017 (-20.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,733 to #7,955.
What does the Census say about the background of Gottschalk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottschalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gottschalk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,694 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gottschalk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gottschalk (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 Gottschalk mean?
A German surname composed of the elements "God" and "servant," denoting someone in service to God or the church. 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 Gottschalk (1.34 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 share the surname Gottschalk?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.