2000
#5,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,097
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.26
Rare Last name
Gabbard
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of gaberdine, a durable twill-woven cloth.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,768 Americans carry the last name Gabbard. That puts it at #5,666 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gabbard 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
6.8K
1 in 50,643
Census rank
#5,666
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,902 bearers of the surname Gabbard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5666th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gabbard
The surname Gabbard is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known references is found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a Richard Gabard is mentioned in 1275.
The name Gabbard is thought to be derived from the Old English words "gabor" or "gafol," which referred to a tax or rent payment. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to a person responsible for collecting taxes or rents.
In the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, there is a record of a William Gabbard. This provides evidence that the name was already in use and established in different regions of England during the 13th century.
The earliest recorded spelling variations of the name include Gabbard, Gabard, Gafard, and Gafford. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One notable historical figure with the surname Gabbard was John Gabbard, who was born in Warwickshire, England, in 1548. He served as a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Gabbard, born in Gloucestershire in 1620. He was one of the early settlers in colonial Virginia and was granted land in what is now King William County in 1654.
In the 17th century, the surname Gabbard also appeared in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, with the baptism of Robert Gabbard in 1670.
During the 18th century, the name Gabbard was found in various locations across England, including Oxfordshire, where William Gabbard was born in 1712, and Northamptonshire, where John Gabbard was born in 1743.
Another notable individual was Richard Gabbard, born in Lincolnshire in 1765. He served as a captain in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and was involved in several notable naval battles.
While the surname Gabbard is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history with records spanning several centuries and various regions of the country, reflecting its long-standing presence in English nomenclature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gabbard
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gabbard 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 Gabbard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 5,369
- Two or more races4.7% · 276
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 40
- Black or African American0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gabbard
Gabbard 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
#5,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,205
+108 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 349 places
2020
#5,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,902
-303 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,255 | 6,097 | 2.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,604 | 6,205 | 2.10 | +108 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 349 places |
| 2020 | #5,666 | 5,902 | 1.97 | -303 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 62 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 Gabbard 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 | #5,604 | #5,666 | -1.1% |
| Count | 6,205 | 5,902 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.10 | 1.97 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gabbard bearers went from 6,205 to 5,902 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,604 to #5,666.
FAQ
Gabbard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gabbard?
Name Census estimates that about 6,768 living Americans carry the surname Gabbard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,643 residents.
How common is Gabbard?
Gabbard ranks #5,666 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,902 people with the surname Gabbard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,768), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gabbard.
Has Gabbard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gabbard went from 6,205 recorded bearers to 5,902. That is a decrease of 303 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,604 to #5,666.
What does the Census say about the background of Gabbard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Gabbard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (5,369 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gabbard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Gabbard (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 Gabbard mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of gaberdine, a durable twill-woven cloth. 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 Gabbard (1.97 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 common is the surname Gabbard?
If you just want to know how common the surname Gabbard is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.