2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gulch
A surname derived from a Middle English word referring to a deep ravine or gully.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Gulch. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gulch 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.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Gulch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulch, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gulch
The surname "GULCH" is believed to have originated in England in the 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "gulch," which means a deep, narrow ravine or gully. This name was likely first given to someone who lived near or worked in such a geographical feature.
The earliest known record of the surname "GULCH" dates back to 1379, when a John Gulch was mentioned in the Court Rolls of Warwickshire. It is possible that this name also appeared in the Domesday Book, the great survey of England conducted in 1086, but the spelling may have been slightly different.
In the 16th century, the name "GULCH" was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. One notable bearer of this surname was William Gulch, born in 1587 in Nottinghamshire, who was a respected landowner and member of the local gentry.
As people began to migrate to the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries, the name "GULCH" traveled with them. In 1642, a Thomas Gulch was recorded as one of the early settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Another prominent individual with this surname was Samuel Gulch (1725-1801), who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later became a successful merchant in Philadelphia.
In the 19th century, the name "GULCH" appeared in various parts of the United States and Canada. One notable figure was Mary Gulch (1845-1927), a pioneer and homesteader in the American West who helped establish the town of Gulch, Colorado, which was named after her family.
Other individuals with the surname "GULCH" who made their mark in history include:
1. Robert Gulch (1816-1892), a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and South America.
2. Elizabeth Gulch (1871-1949), an American suffragist and advocate for women's rights.
3. James Gulch (1905-1978), a Canadian artist and sculptor renowned for his works depicting the rugged landscape of the Canadian Rockies.
4. Henry Gulch (1920-2005), a British architect who designed several iconic buildings in London during the post-World War II reconstruction period.
5. Sarah Gulch (1952-present), an acclaimed American novelist and short story writer, known for her vivid portrayal of small-town life in the American South.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gulch
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulch, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gulch 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 Gulch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gulch
Gulch 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-7 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,252 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 13,252 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 11,305 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 Gulch 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 | #132,206 | #143,511 | -8.6% |
| Count | 128 | 118 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gulch bearers went from 128 to 118 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 11,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #143,511.
FAQ
Gulch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gulch?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Gulch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Gulch?
Gulch ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Gulch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gulch.
Has Gulch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gulch went from 128 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Gulch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulch, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Gulch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gulch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Gulch (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 Gulch mean?
A surname derived from a Middle English word referring to a deep ravine or gully. 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 Gulch (0.04 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 Gulch?
Find out how many people are called Gulch on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.