2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gulchuk
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a ravine or gully.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 166 Americans carry the last name Gulchuk. That puts it at #124,450 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,064,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gulchuk 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
166
1 in 2,064,785
Census rank
#124,450
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
145
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 145 bearers of the surname Gulchuk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 124450th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulchuk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gulchuk
The surname Gulchuk has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in modern-day Ukraine and Belarus. It likely emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Slavic root word "gulch," which refers to a deep ravine or gully, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided near or worked in such geographical features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gulchuk can be found in the Litovskaya Metrika, a historical collection of documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, dating back to the 15th century. In these records, the name is spelled differently, such as "Gulczuk" or "Gulchuk," reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation that were common during that era.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Grigory Gulchuk was mentioned in the chronicles of the Principality of Smolensk, a region that was part of the Grand Duchy of Moscow at the time. Grigory was a prominent landowner and military commander who played a role in the conflicts between Moscow and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
During the 17th century, the Gulchuk family gained prominence in the region of Volhynia, which was then part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Andrei Gulchuk, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the town of Lutsk, was recorded in the local archives as a prominent figure in the local community.
The 18th century saw the rise of Petro Gulchuk, a Cossack leader and military commander who fought against the Ottoman Empire's incursions into the Ukrainian territories. His exploits were documented in various historical accounts of the time, cementing the Gulchuk name's association with bravery and military prowess.
In the 19th century, Ivan Gulchuk, a renowned poet and writer from the Ukrainian region of Poltava, gained recognition for his works celebrating the beauty of the Ukrainian landscape and the struggles of the common people. His poetry collection, published in 1856, is considered a significant contribution to the literary heritage of the region.
Throughout history, the Gulchuk surname has been associated with various professions, including landowners, merchants, military leaders, and literary figures. While the name originated in the Slavic regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gulchuk
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulchuk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gulchuk 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 Gulchuk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.3% · 144
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gulchuk
Gulchuk appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#124,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+32 bearers (+28.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 21,751 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #124,450 | 145 | 0.05 | +32 bearers (+28.3%) | Up 21,751 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 Gulchuk 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 | #146,201 | #124,450 | 14.9% |
| Count | 113 | 145 | 28.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 21.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gulchuk bearers went from 113 to 145 (+28.3% change). The surname moved up 21,751 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #124,450.
FAQ
Gulchuk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gulchuk?
Name Census estimates that about 166 living Americans carry the surname Gulchuk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,064,785 residents.
How common is Gulchuk?
Gulchuk ranks #124,450 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 145 people with the surname Gulchuk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Gulchuk.
Has Gulchuk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gulchuk went from 113 recorded bearers to 145. That is an increase of 32 (+28.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #124,450.
What does the Census say about the background of Gulchuk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulchuk, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). 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 Gulchuk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.3% (144 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gulchuk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.7%). 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 Gulchuk (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 Gulchuk mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a 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 Gulchuk (0.05 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 are called Gulchuk?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gulchuk? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.