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

Gamache, 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 Gamache surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gamache in America

Gamache is the 8126th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gamache surname appeared 4,082 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 Gamache.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gamache 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 Gamache

The surname Gamache is of French origin, emerging in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "gamache," which referred to a type of leg armor or gaiters worn by soldiers and knights. The name likely originated in the Normandy region of northern France.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gamache name can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of citizens from the city of Rouen in Normandy, dating back to the late 13th century. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region at that time.

In the 14th century, a noble French family named Gamache held significant land and titles in the Picardy region of northern France. Records mention individuals such as Hugues de Gamache, who participated in the Crusades in the late 13th century, and Jean de Gamache, a knight who fought alongside Joan of Arc in the 15th century.

The Gamache name also appears in historical documents from England, likely brought over by French settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Domesday Book, a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, includes a reference to a place called "Gamaches" in Suffolk, which may have been named after a Gamache landowner.

Notable individuals with the Gamache surname include:

1. Philippe de Gamaches (c. 1165-1236), a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third and Fifth Crusades.
2. Jean de Gamache (c. 1390-1455), a French knight and military leader who fought alongside Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years' War.
3. Guillaume Gamache (c. 1520-1594), a French magistrate and jurist who served as the First President of the Parlement of Paris.
4. Étienne de Gamaches (c. 1572-1625), a French Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Bishop of Mende.
5. Louis-Alexandre de Gamache (1681-1741), a French naval officer and explorer who led expeditions to the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico.

While the Gamache name originated in France, it has since spread to various other countries, including Canada, where it is particularly prevalent in the province of Quebec due to French settlement and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gamache

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

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 Gamache 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 Gamache 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 Gamache was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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