2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gustovich
A surname derived from the Russian patronymic "Gustov", meaning "son of Gust".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gustovich. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gustovich 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gustovich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gustovich
The surname Gustovich is of Slavic origin, specifically from the region that is now modern-day Croatia. It dates back to the 15th century, when it was derived from the Slavic word "gust," which means "dense" or "thick," often referring to a dense forest or thicket. The suffix "-ovich" was a common patronymic ending in Slavic names, indicating the name of the father or ancestor.
In the early days, the name was likely given to someone who lived near a dense forest or who worked as a forester or woodsman. The earliest recorded instance of the name was found in a land registry document from the village of Gust, near the city of Zadar, in 1487.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Ivan Gustovich, a Croatian military commander who fought against the Ottoman Empire in the late 16th century. He was mentioned in several chronicles and historical accounts of the time for his bravery and leadership during the Austro-Ottoman War of 1593-1606.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in church records in the town of Kastav, near Rijeka, where a family of Gustoviches was recorded as landowners and prominent members of the community.
Another notable figure was Marko Gustovich, a Croatian poet and playwright who lived in the 18th century. He was born in Dubrovnik in 1717 and is remembered for his satirical plays and poems that criticized the aristocracy and social injustices of his time.
In the 19th century, the name Gustovich spread beyond Croatia as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Petar Gustovich, a Croatian-American who fought in the American Civil War and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
Another significant bearer of the name was Nikola Gustovich, a Croatian painter and sculptor who lived from 1855 to 1924. He is known for his religious paintings and sculptures that adorned many churches in Croatia and neighboring countries.
Over time, the name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Gustovic, Gustovič, and Gustovitch, reflecting the different regions and languages where it has been used.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gustovich
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gustovich 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 Gustovich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gustovich
Gustovich 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,954 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,716 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,954 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,716 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 Gustovich 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 | #135,593 | #141,309 | -4.2% |
| Count | 124 | 121 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gustovich bearers went from 124 to 121 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,716 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gustovich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gustovich?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gustovich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gustovich?
Gustovich ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Gustovich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Gustovich.
Has Gustovich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gustovich went from 124 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gustovich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustovich, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Gustovich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gustovich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Gustovich (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 Gustovich mean?
A surname derived from the Russian patronymic "Gustov", meaning "son of Gust". 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 Gustovich (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 many Americans have the surname Gustovich?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.