2000
#10,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,798
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Gove
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "gully, ravine, or narrow channel of water."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,822 Americans carry the last name Gove. That puts it at #12,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,458 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gove 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 Gove with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,458
Census rank
#12,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,461 bearers of the surname Gove in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gove, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gove
Among Census respondents with the surname Gove, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gove 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 Gove surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 2,204
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 93
- Two or more races3.8% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 27
- Black or African American1.1% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gove
Gove 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
#11,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,636
-162 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 1,358 places
2020
#12,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,461
-175 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,519 | 2,798 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,877 | 2,636 | 0.89 | -162 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 1,358 places |
| 2020 | #12,093 | 2,461 | 0.82 | -175 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 216 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 Gove 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 | #11,877 | #12,093 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,636 | 2,461 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.82 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gove bearers went from 2,636 to 2,461 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,877 to #12,093.
FAQ
Gove surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gove?
Name Census estimates that about 2,822 living Americans carry the surname Gove. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,458 residents.
How common is Gove?
Gove ranks #12,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,461 people with the surname Gove. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,822), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Gove.
Has Gove become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gove went from 2,636 recorded bearers to 2,461. That is a decrease of 175 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,877 to #12,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Gove?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gove, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) 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 Gove in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,204 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gove appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), 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 Gove (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 Gove mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "gully, ravine, or narrow channel of water." 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 Gove (0.82 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 last name Gove?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Gove at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.