Explore the Family Name Gockel
The meaning of Gockel
1. North German: habitational name from a place in Westphalia called Gockeln. The placename is presumably derived from gok, an obsolete word for a bog. 2. South German (also Göckel): either a nickname for someone with a cheerful disposition, from Middle High German gogel ‘cheerful, lively’, or an occupational name for an entertainer (modern German Gaukler), from Middle High German gockeln, goukeln, Middle Low German gōkelen ‘to perform tricks’. 3. South German (Göckel): from a vernacular pet form of the personal name Jacob. Compare Goeckel and Kegley.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gockel in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Gockel has slightly declined in the United States from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Gockel was ranked as the 46,839th most common surname, and this ranking slipped to 50,362 in 2010, a change of -7.52%. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 427 in 2000 to 415 in 2010, representing a decrease of -2.81%. The proportion of U.S. residents with this surname per 100,000 people also fell by 12.5% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #46,839 | #50,362 | -7.52% |
| Count | 427 | 415 | -2.81% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.16 | 0.14 | -12.5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gockel
When looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Gockel, it's largely consistent between 2000 and 2010, again based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. Individuals identifying as White represented the largest portion of those carrying the Gockel surname in 2000 at 97.66%, though this dropped slightly to 95.42% in 2010. While no individuals identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native, the data recorded a small emergence of individuals reporting two or more races, at 2.41% in 2010, and Hispanic at 1.20% in 2010. This shows a slight diversification in the ethnic identities associated with the surname over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.66% | 95.42% | -2.29% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 2.41% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.2% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |