2000
#3,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,421
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.49
Uncommon Last name
Gable
A surname derived from the Middle English word "gable," referring to a triangular portion of a building's wall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,254 Americans carry the last name Gable. That puts it at #3,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gable 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gable with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,426
Census rank
#3,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,942 bearers of the surname Gable in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gable, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gable
The surname Gable originated in Germany and is derived from the Middle High German word "gebel," which means "gable" or the triangular section of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a roofer or builder of gables.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Gable dates back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, Germany. In 1285, a document from the town of Regensburg mentioned a man named Chunrad Gebel, which is an early variation of the spelling.
Gable is also believed to have been derived from the German place name Gabel, which is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. This place name itself is derived from the Slavic word "gabel," meaning "fork" or "branch," potentially referring to the forking of two rivers or roads.
In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England, there are no recorded instances of the surname Gable. This suggests that the name did not establish a presence in England until after the 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gable was Hans Gable, a German artist and woodcarver who lived in the 15th century. He is known for his intricate carvings adorning churches and castles throughout Bavaria.
In the 16th century, Johann Gable was a prominent Lutheran theologian and church reformer from Saxony. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement in Germany.
During the 18th century, Johann Peter Gable was a German immigrant to America who settled in Pennsylvania. He established a successful farm and mill in the region and became a prominent figure in the local German community.
In the 19th century, Clark Gable was an American actor best known for his roles in classic films such as "Gone with the Wind" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." He was born in 1901 and died in 1960, becoming one of the most famous individuals with the surname Gable.
Another notable person with the surname Gable was Walter Gable, an American musician and composer who lived from 1913 to 1989. He was renowned for his work in the big band and swing genres, contributing to the development of American jazz music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gable
Among Census respondents with the surname Gable, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gable 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 Gable surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 7,692
- Black or African American5.7% · 506
- Two or more races4.0% · 357
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 276
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gable
Gable 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
#3,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,779
+358 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 3.32
Rank movement Down 168 places
2020
#3,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,942
-837 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 2.99
Rank movement Down 232 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,466 | 9,421 | 3.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,634 | 9,779 | 3.32 | +358 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 168 places |
| 2020 | #3,866 | 8,942 | 2.99 | -837 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 232 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 Gable 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 | #3,634 | #3,866 | -6.4% |
| Count | 9,779 | 8,942 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.32 | 2.99 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gable bearers went from 9,779 to 8,942 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 232 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,634 to #3,866.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gable
FAQ
Gable surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gable?
Name Census estimates that about 10,254 living Americans carry the surname Gable. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,426 residents.
How common is Gable?
Gable ranks #3,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,942 people with the surname Gable. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,254), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gable.
Has Gable become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gable went from 9,779 recorded bearers to 8,942. That is a decrease of 837 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,634 to #3,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Gable?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gable, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Gable in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (7,692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gable appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Gable (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 Gable mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English word "gable," referring to a triangular portion of a building's wall. 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 Gable (2.99 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 Gable?
See how many Americans have the surname Gable on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.