2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gambaccini
An Italian surname derived from the word "gamba" meaning leg, possibly relating to an ancestral physical characteristic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 146 Americans carry the last name Gambaccini. That puts it at #136,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,347,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gambaccini 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
146
1 in 2,347,632
Census rank
#136,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
127
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 127 bearers of the surname Gambaccini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambaccini, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gambaccini
The surname Gambaccini is of Italian origin, hailing from the northern regions of the country, particularly in the areas around Milan and Lombardy. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "gamba," meaning "leg," and is thought to have been originally used as a descriptive nickname for someone with noticeable or distinctive legs.
In the early records of Italian surnames, variations of Gambaccini appear, such as Gambacorta and Gambacurta, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. While the name does not appear in the renowned Domesday Book, which documented landowners in England after the Norman conquest, it is found in various Italian municipal records and documents from the late medieval and Renaissance periods.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giovanni Gambaccini, a merchant from Milan who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Pietro Gambaccini, a Renaissance scholar and philosopher born in Pavia in 1492, who wrote extensively on the works of Aristotle and Plato.
In the 17th century, the name Gambaccini gained prominence with the birth of Antonio Gambaccini (1622-1694), a celebrated Baroque architect from Parma. His most notable works include the Church of San Vitale in Parma and the Palazzo Ducale in Colorno.
The 18th century saw the rise of Giuseppe Gambaccini (1745-1821), a renowned painter from Bologna who specialized in portraits and religious works. His paintings can be found in various churches and galleries across Italy.
In more recent times, one of the most famous bearers of the Gambaccini name was Paolo Gambaccini (1949-), an Italian-British author, broadcaster, and music critic who has been a prominent figure in the British music industry since the 1970s.
While the Gambaccini surname may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has evolved to become a prestigious Italian surname with a rich history spanning several centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse fields such as architecture, art, philosophy, and commerce.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gambaccini
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambaccini, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Gambaccini 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 Gambaccini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 127
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gambaccini
Gambaccini 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 648 places
2020
#136,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
+9 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 648 places |
| 2020 | #136,807 | 127 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 4,333 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 Gambaccini 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 | #141,140 | #136,807 | 3.1% |
| Count | 118 | 127 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gambaccini bearers went from 118 to 127 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 4,333 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #136,807.
FAQ
Gambaccini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gambaccini?
Name Census estimates that about 146 living Americans carry the surname Gambaccini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,347,632 residents.
How common is Gambaccini?
Gambaccini ranks #136,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 127 people with the surname Gambaccini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gambaccini.
Has Gambaccini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gambaccini went from 118 recorded bearers to 127. That is an increase of 9 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #141,140 to #136,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Gambaccini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambaccini, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Gambaccini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gambaccini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Gambaccini (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 Gambaccini mean?
An Italian surname derived from the word "gamba" meaning leg, possibly relating to an ancestral physical characteristic. 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 Gambaccini (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Gambaccini?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.