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

Gove, 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 Gove surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gove in America

Gove is the 11877th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gove surname appeared 2,636 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gove.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gove 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 Gove

The surname GOVE originated in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gofe," meaning "cave" or "pit." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near a cave or pit, or worked in such an environment.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the GOVE surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, where a person named William Gove is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, further indicating its presence in medieval England.

The GOVE surname is closely associated with several place names in England, such as Gove Farm in Somerset and Gove Lane in Berkshire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English root word, reflecting the geographical connections of the surname.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the GOVE surname began to spread across various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire. John Gove (c. 1320-1380), a renowned scholar and theologian from Cambridgeshire, is one of the earliest notable individuals with this surname.

In the 16th century, the GOVE surname gained prominence with the birth of Edward Gove (1545-1621), a successful merchant and landowner from Buckinghamshire. His descendants continued to contribute to the history and legacy of the GOVE name in England.

Other notable individuals bearing the GOVE surname include William Gove (1683-1758), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament for Hindon; Elizabeth Gove (1720-1786), a celebrated artist and portraitist; and James Gove (1794-1867), a renowned architect responsible for designing several churches and public buildings in London.

While the GOVE surname has its roots in England, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and exploration. Today, people bearing this surname can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gove

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

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

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

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