Explore the Family Name Gosling

The meaning of Gosling

1. English: nickname from Middle English gosling ‘young goose’ (from Old English gōs + the ancient Germanic suffix -ling, partly in imitation of Old Norse gæslingr from gás). 2. English: variant of Joslin. 3. German (also Gösling): from a short form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with god, got ‘god’ or gōd ‘good’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Gosling in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Gosling has seen some fluctuation in popularity. In 2000, it was ranked 34,259 and this rose slightly to 33,499 in 2010, indicating a 2.22% increase in popularity rank. The count of individuals with the Gosling surname also increased during this period from 626 in 2000 to 681 in 2010, marking an 8.79% growth. However, the proportion per 100k people remained steady at 0.23.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#34,259	#33,499	2.22%
Count	626	681	8.79%
Proportion per 100k	0.23	0.23	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gosling

The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the Gosling surname. In 2010, most individuals with this last name identified as White (91.78%), a slight decrease from 93.45% in 2000. Those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant increase from 0.80% in 2000 to 2.35% in 2010. Representation from the Black community decreased slightly from 3.83% to 3.67%. Interestingly, the category of "Two or more races" witnessed a substantial rise from 0.96% to 1.47%. No individuals with the Gosling surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.45%	91.78%	-1.79%
Black	3.83%	3.67%	-4.18%
Hispanic	0.8%	2.35%	193.75%
Two or More Races	0.96%	1.47%	53.13%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%