Explore the Family Name Gou
The meaning of Gou
1. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 苟, meaning ‘careless’ in Chinese: (i) said to be borne by descendants of the legendary Huang Di, or ‘the Yellow Emperor’ (c.27th century bc). (ii) from the placename Gou (苟), the name of a fief granted to an official in the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC). (iii) adopted in place of the Chinese surname Xun (荀) by an official in the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BC) in order to escape from persecution. (iv) adopted in place of the Chinese surname Gou (句) during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Song (1107–87 AD), since the surname happened to share similar pronunciation with the personal name of the emperor, which was taboo in ancient China. (v) adopted in place of the Chinese surname Jing (敬) during the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Later Jin (892–942 AD), since the surname happened to be part of the personal name of the emperor (whose personal name was Jingtang, 敬塘), which was taboo in ancient China. (vi) adopted as the surname by the Ruo Gan (若干) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). 2. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 勾 (or written as 句), said to be traced back to the post-name Gou Mang (勾芒 or 句芒), an official title of Chong, son of the legendary king Shao Hao (c.26th century bc). 3. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 緱: (i) said to be borne by the descendants of Zong Jing, a grandson of King Ling of Zhou (died 545 BC). (ii) possibly from the placename Gou (緱), the name of a fief (located in Henan province) during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC). (iii) adopted by the Ke Hou (渴侯) family from the Xianbei ethnic group in northern China during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534 AD). 4. Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 芶: (i) adopted in place of another Chinese surname Gou (勾) which shared a similar pronunciation with the personal name of Emperor Gaozong of Song (1107–87 AD), a taboo in ancient China. (ii) possibly interchangeable with another surname 苟 in ancient China. 5. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 郭, see Guo 1. 6. Catalan: from the medieval ancient Germanic personal name Gaud or Gauto.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gou in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Gou has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 116,835th in popularity, but by 2010, it had jumped to 70,833rd, marking an impressive growth of 39.37%. The count of individuals with this surname also doubled from 138 in 2000 to 276 in 2010, resulting in a proportion per 100k change of 80.0%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #116,835 | #70,833 | 39.37% |
| Count | 138 | 276 | 100% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.05 | 0.09 | 80% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gou
In terms of ethnic identity associated with the surname Gou, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that most individuals identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, with a rise from 76.81% in 2000 to 78.99% in 2010. The percentage identifying as Hispanic saw a substantial increase of 39.86%, jumping from 7.25% in 2000 to 10.14% in 2010. However, the proportion identifying as White decreased nearly half from 13.04% to 6.88%. There was also the introduction of the Black ethnicity within this surname, accounting for 2.54% in 2010, while there were none recorded in the previous census. No change was noted in those identifying with two or more races or as American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 76.81% | 78.99% | 2.84% |
| Hispanic | 7.25% | 10.14% | 39.86% |
| White | 13.04% | 6.88% | -47.24% |
| Black | 0% | 2.54% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |