2000
#7,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Gamache
A French occupational surname referring to a guard or watchman, derived from the Old French word "gamache."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,473 Americans carry the last name Gamache. That puts it at #8,124 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gamache 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
4.5K
1 in 76,627
Census rank
#8,124
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,901 bearers of the surname Gamache in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8124th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamache, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The Gamache name also appears in historical documents from England, likely brought over by French settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamache
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamache, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gamache 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 Gamache surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 3,583
- Two or more races3.9% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 115
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gamache
Gamache 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
#8,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,082
+14 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 585 places
2020
#8,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,901
-181 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,541 | 4,068 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,126 | 4,082 | 1.38 | +14 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 585 places |
| 2020 | #8,124 | 3,901 | 1.31 | -181 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 2 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 Gamache 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 | #8,126 | #8,124 | 0.0% |
| Count | 4,082 | 3,901 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.31 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gamache bearers went from 4,082 to 3,901 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,126 to #8,124.
FAQ
Gamache surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gamache?
Name Census estimates that about 4,473 living Americans carry the surname Gamache. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,627 residents.
How common is Gamache?
Gamache ranks #8,124 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,901 people with the surname Gamache. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,473), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Gamache.
Has Gamache become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gamache went from 4,082 recorded bearers to 3,901. That is a decrease of 181 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,126 to #8,124.
What does the Census say about the background of Gamache?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamache, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gamache in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (3,583 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gamache appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gamache (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 Gamache mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a guard or watchman, derived from the Old French word "gamache." 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 Gamache (1.31 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 share the surname Gamache?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.