Explore the Family Name Gohl
The meaning of Gohl
1. German (also Göhl): nickname for someone with a cheerful disposition, from a shortened form of Middle High German gogel ‘lively, boisterous’. 2. Swiss German: probably a nickname for a loud person, from Middle High German goln ‘to howl’. 3. East German (of Slavic origin; also Göhl): topographic name from a Germanized form of Lower Sorbian góla or Polish gola ‘bare heathland, place without trees’ (see Gola), or a habitational name from a place called with this word. 4. Germanized form (Göhl) of Sorbian Góły, Polish Goły ‘bald’ (see Golly) and of their shortened form Goł. Compare Goehl 2.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gohl in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Gohl saw a minor decrease in ranking from 2000 to 2010, moving from 21,742 to 22,592 — a change of -3.91%. Despite this, the actual count of individuals with the Gohl surname increased slightly over this decade, with an increase of 1.88% from 1,116 to 1,137 people. The proportion of the population with the Gohl surname per 100,000 people also decreased during this period, from 0.41 to 0.39, a change of -4.88%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,742 | #22,592 | -3.91% |
| Count | 1,116 | 1,137 | 1.88% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.41 | 0.39 | -4.88% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gohl
Concerning the ethnicity of those bearing the surname Gohl, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority identified as White, though the percentage slightly declined from 95.43% to 95.07%. Likewise, there was a decrease in the percentage of those identifying as Two or more races and American Indian and Alaskan Native, by 25% and 15.2% respectively. However, the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic saw a substantial rise of 68.69%, from 0.99% to 1.67%. Additionally, the 2010 census showed a small proportion of individuals identifying as Black (0.44%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.62%), both ethnic identities were not represented in the 2000 census for this surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.43% | 95.07% | -0.38% |
| Hispanic | 0.99% | 1.67% | 68.69% |
| Two or More Races | 1.52% | 1.14% | -25% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.25% | 1.06% | -15.2% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0.62% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0.44% | 0% |