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

Gamas, 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 Gamas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gamas in America

Gamas is the 85049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gamas surname appeared 220 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gamas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gamas 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 Gamas

The surname GAMAS is believed to have originated from Spain, with the earliest records dating back to the 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "gama," which means "deer" or "antelope." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked with these animals, such as a hunter or a herder.

One of the earliest known references to the name GAMAS can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a document from 1492 mentions a certain "Juan de Gamas" as a landowner in the region. This indicates that the name was already well-established in southern Spain by the late 15th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name GAMAS began to spread to other parts of Spain, as well as to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. In 1534, a man named Diego de Gamas was recorded as one of the first Spanish settlers in the city of Cartagena de Indias, which is now located in modern-day Colombia.

In the 18th century, the GAMAS surname gained prominence in the Spanish military. One notable figure was General Juan de Gamas y Mendoza (1672-1743), who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1723 to 1730. Another prominent GAMAS was Admiral Tomás de Gamas (1718-1792), who played a crucial role in the Spanish navy during the American Revolutionary War.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the name GAMAS also found its way to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, a branch of the family settled in the Philippines, where they became influential landowners and politicians. One member of this branch was Jose Gamas (1829-1901), who served as the mayor of the city of Cebu from 1872 to 1875.

Another notable bearer of the GAMAS surname was the Spanish artist and sculptor Antonio Gamas (1872-1945), who was known for his work in the Modernist style. His sculptures can be found in various cities across Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona.

While the GAMAS name has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Latin America, the Philippines, and even as far as Australia and New Zealand. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula, where it likely referred to those involved in the hunting or herding of deer and antelopes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gamas

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

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

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

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