2000
#10,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,771
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Gouge
A French occupational surname for a tool maker or someone who made or used gouges or chisels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,978 Americans carry the last name Gouge. That puts it at #11,578 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gouge 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 Gouge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,095
Census rank
#11,578
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,597 bearers of the surname Gouge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11578th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouge, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gouge
The surname GOUGE has its origins in France, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "gouger," meaning "to pierce" or "to scoop out." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a trade or occupation related to gouging or carving.
In the 13th century, records show variations of the name such as "le Gouge" and "de Gouge" appearing in regions like Normandy and Brittany. These early spellings indicate that the name may have referred to a person who worked as a gouger or carver, potentially in the woodworking or stoneworking trades.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England conducted in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname GOUGE. However, this does not preclude the possibility of the name existing in other parts of Europe at that time.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the name GOUGE was Jean Gouge, a French theologian born in 1616 in Normandy. Another notable figure was Thomas Gouge (1605-1681), an English Puritan minister and author from Stratford-upon-Avon.
In the 17th century, the name appears in records from England, possibly introduced by French Huguenot immigrants fleeing religious persecution. One such individual was William Gouge (1625-1687), a merchant and philanthropist who established several charitable institutions in London.
The name GOUGE also has a connection to the American colonies. Robert Gouge (c. 1610-1662) was an early settler in Virginia and a member of the House of Burgesses, while James Gouge (c. 1630-1689) was a landowner and prominent figure in colonial Maryland.
Other notable individuals with the surname GOUGE include Sir Daniel Gouge (1670-1731), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession, and Humphrey Gouge (1767-1836), an English artist and engraver known for his landscape paintings.
While the surname GOUGE is not among the most common, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and regions, reflecting its origins in the skilled trades and occupations of medieval Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gouge
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouge, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gouge 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 Gouge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 2,239
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.2% · 135
- Two or more races5.0% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 72
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gouge
Gouge 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
#11,156
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,837
+66 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 545 places
2020
#11,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,597
-240 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 422 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,611 | 2,771 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,156 | 2,837 | 0.96 | +66 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 545 places |
| 2020 | #11,578 | 2,597 | 0.87 | -240 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 422 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 Gouge 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 | #11,156 | #11,578 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,837 | 2,597 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.87 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gouge bearers went from 2,837 to 2,597 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 422 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,156 to #11,578.
FAQ
Gouge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gouge?
Name Census estimates that about 2,978 living Americans carry the surname Gouge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,095 residents.
How common is Gouge?
Gouge ranks #11,578 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,597 people with the surname Gouge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,978), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Gouge.
Has Gouge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gouge went from 2,837 recorded bearers to 2,597. That is a decrease of 240 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,156 to #11,578.
What does the Census say about the background of Gouge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouge, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Gouge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (2,239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gouge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Gouge (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 Gouge mean?
A French occupational surname for a tool maker or someone who made or used gouges or chisels. 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 Gouge (0.87 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 common is the surname Gouge?
Want to know how common the surname Gouge is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.