2000
#3,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,408
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.12
Rare Last name
Gough
From the Welsh surname Goch or Coch, meaning "red," likely referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,696 Americans carry the last name Gough. That puts it at #4,073 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,350 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gough 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 Gough with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.7K
1 in 35,350
Census rank
#4,073
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,455 bearers of the surname Gough in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4073rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gough, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gough
The surname Gough is of Welsh origin, derived from the Welsh personal name Coch, meaning "red" or "ruddy". It likely originated as a nickname for someone with reddish hair or a ruddy complexion. The name is thought to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century in Wales.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Gough can be found in medieval Welsh records and manuscripts. One notable example is Rhys Goch, a 14th-century Welsh military leader who fought alongside Owain Glyndwr during the Welsh Revolt against English rule.
The name Gough has also been associated with various place names in Wales, such as Gough's Wood in Monmouthshire and Gough's Castle in Pembrokeshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname Gough who lived or owned property in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gough was John Gough (c. 1490-1558), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. Another notable figure was Sir Henry Gough (1619-1689), a Welsh soldier and Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, John Gough (1721-1791) was a prominent English Baptist minister and author, known for his theological writings and his advocacy for religious freedom. Later, in the 19th century, Lord Hugh Gough (1779-1869) was a prominent British military commander who served in the Peninsular War and the First Anglo-Sikh War.
Another individual of note was Sir Hubert Gough (1870-1963), a British Army officer who commanded the Fifth Army during World War I and later served as the Director-General of the Territorial Army. Lastly, John Gough (1935-2022) was a British actor known for his role as the butler Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman film series.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Gough, demonstrating its Welsh origins and its presence across various fields and historical contexts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gough
Among Census respondents with the surname Gough, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gough 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 Gough surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 7,028
- Black or African American8.1% · 682
- Two or more races3.8% · 325
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 291
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gough
Gough 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
#4,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,584
+176 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Down 251 places
2020
#4,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,455
-129 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,881 | 8,408 | 3.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,132 | 8,584 | 2.91 | +176 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 251 places |
| 2020 | #4,073 | 8,455 | 2.83 | -129 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 59 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 Gough 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 | #4,132 | #4,073 | 1.4% |
| Count | 8,584 | 8,455 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.91 | 2.83 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gough bearers went from 8,584 to 8,455 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,132 to #4,073.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gough
FAQ
Gough surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gough?
Name Census estimates that about 9,696 living Americans carry the surname Gough. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,350 residents.
How common is Gough?
Gough ranks #4,073 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,455 people with the surname Gough. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,696), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gough.
Has Gough become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gough went from 8,584 recorded bearers to 8,455. That is a decrease of 129 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,132 to #4,073.
What does the Census say about the background of Gough?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gough, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Gough in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (7,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gough appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Gough (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 Gough mean?
From the Welsh surname Goch or Coch, meaning "red," likely referring to someone with red hair or a ruddy complexion. 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 Gough (2.83 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 surname Gough?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.