Find out how popular the last name Gouker is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gouker.
An occupational surname derived from the Old French "gouquer", meaning one who worked as a shepherd or a goatherd.
Gouker, 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 Gouker surname is from the 2010 census data.
Gouker is the 30101st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Gouker surname appeared 779 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 Gouker.
We can also compare 2010 data for Gouker 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.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 30101 | 30292 | -0.63% |
| Count | 779 | 729 | 6.63% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.26 | 0.27 | -3.77% |
The surname Gouker is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "gaukler," which translates to "juggler" or "jester." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who worked as an entertainer or performer.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gouker can be found in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, Germany. An entry from 1589 mentions a "Hans Gouker," who was likely a traveling performer or entertainer.
In the 17th century, the name Gouker appeared in various German church records and parish registers, indicating its spread across different regions. For instance, a "Johann Gouker" was recorded in the baptismal records of the town of Fürth in 1634.
As people migrated from Germany to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas, the name Gouker traveled with them. One notable individual was Johann Friedrich Gouker, born in 1712 in Württemberg, Germany, who later settled in Pennsylvania, United States, in the mid-18th century.
Another early record of the name Gouker can be found in the Palatine immigrant lists of the 18th century, which documented the arrival of German settlers in the British colonies of North America. In 1752, a "Michael Gouker" was listed as one of the immigrants who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
One of the earliest known uses of the name Gouker in literature can be found in the works of the German writer and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who mentioned a character named "Gouker" in his novel "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship" published in 1795-1796.
As the name spread across different regions and countries, various spelling variations emerged, such as Goouker, Goucker, and Gowker. These variations can be found in historical records from Germany, England, and the United States.
Notable individuals with the surname Gouker throughout history include:
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gouker.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gouker was:
| Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hispanic White Only | 94.99% | 740 |
| Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
| Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.77% | 6 |
| Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.28% | 10 |
| Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
| Hispanic Origin | 2.18% | 17 |
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 Gouker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
| 2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.99% | 96.98% | -2.07% |
| Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.77% | (S)% | (S)% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.28% | (S)% | (S)% |
| Two or More Races | (S)% | 0.69% | (S)% |
| Hispanic | 2.18% | 1.65% | 27.68% |
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 Gouker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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