Find out how popular the last name Gadsden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gadsden.

Gadsden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gadsden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gadsden in America

Gadsden is the 11393rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gadsden surname appeared 2,768 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gadsden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gadsden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gadsden

The Gadsden surname originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "gad" meaning "goad" or "rod", and "denu" meaning "valley" or "pastoral clearing". It likely referred to someone who lived in a valley where cattle were raised, using a goad to herd them. The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Gatesden".

The name traces its roots to Hampshire and Wiltshire in southern England, with early references found in medieval records from those counties. One of the earliest known bearers was Roger de Gatesden, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1195.

In the 13th century, the name was sometimes spelled "Gadesby" or "Gadseby", reflecting its pronunciation at the time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a Richard de Gatesden in Wiltshire.

During the 14th century, the spelling evolved closer to its modern form, with instances like John Gadsden appearing in tax records from 1327 in Somerset.

Notable individuals with this surname include Christopher Gadsden (1724-1805), an American patriot and merchant from South Carolina who designed the famous Gadsden Flag. James Gadsden (1788-1858) was a U.S. Army officer and diplomat who negotiated the Gadsden Purchase, acquiring lands for the United States from Mexico in 1853.

Other prominent bearers were Samuel Gadsden (1786-1858), a South Carolina planter and politician, and Reverend Philip Gadsden (1740-1807), an Anglican priest and loyalist during the American Revolution. In England, Sir Jeffrey Gadsden (1650-1709) was a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gadsden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gadsden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gadsden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gadsden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gadsden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gadsden, please contact us.

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