2000
#15,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,720
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Gorney
A surname derived from the Russian "gornoye mesto" meaning "place in the mountains."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,917 Americans carry the last name Gorney. That puts it at #16,649 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 178,797 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gorney 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
1.9K
1 in 178,797
Census rank
#16,649
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,672 bearers of the surname Gorney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16649th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gorney
The surname Gorney is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "gorne," which referred to a muddy or dirty place. This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near or worked in a muddy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gorney can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England, from the year 1327, where a certain Robert de Gornay is mentioned. The prefix "de" in this spelling indicates the name's association with a specific place, possibly a town or village called Gornay or a variation of that name.
During the 15th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as Gorney, Gourney, and Gornye. These variations were common in the Middle Ages due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions and the influence of regional dialects.
In the 16th century, the Gorney surname gained more prominence, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was John Gorney, a merchant from Bristol, England, who lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 1500s.
Another prominent figure with the Gorney surname was Sir Nicholas Gorney, a military commander who served in the English Civil War during the 17th century. He fought on the Parliamentarian side and played a crucial role in the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In the 18th century, the name Gorney was associated with the town of Gorney in Somerset, England, which may have been named after the local Gorney family or derived from the same Old English root word.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable individual was John Gorney, a British painter and illustrator born in 1831. He was known for his landscape paintings and illustrations for books and magazines.
Towards the end of the 19th century, another notable figure was Robert Gorney, a successful businessman and industrialist from Manchester, England. He established the Gorney Manufacturing Company, which produced textile machinery and equipment.
While the Gorney surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, it remains relatively uncommon, particularly in its original spelling, compared to other English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gorney
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gorney 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 Gorney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 1,556
- Two or more races2.7% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 31
- Black or African American1.1% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gorney
Gorney 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
#16,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,766
+46 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 717 places
2020
#16,649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,672
-94 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,598 | 1,720 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,315 | 1,766 | 0.60 | +46 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 717 places |
| 2020 | #16,649 | 1,672 | 0.56 | -94 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 334 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 Gorney 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 | #16,315 | #16,649 | -2.0% |
| Count | 1,766 | 1,672 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.56 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gorney bearers went from 1,766 to 1,672 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 334 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,315 to #16,649.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gorney
FAQ
Gorney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gorney?
Name Census estimates that about 1,917 living Americans carry the surname Gorney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 178,797 residents.
How common is Gorney?
Gorney ranks #16,649 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,672 people with the surname Gorney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,917), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gorney.
Has Gorney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gorney went from 1,766 recorded bearers to 1,672. That is a decrease of 94 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,315 to #16,649.
What does the Census say about the background of Gorney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gorney, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Gorney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (1,556 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gorney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Gorney (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 Gorney mean?
A surname derived from the Russian "gornoye mesto" meaning "place in the mountains." 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 Gorney (0.56 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 people have the surname Gorney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.