2000
#7,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Gambill
Derived from a place name meaning "smelter of iron ore" in Old English, referring to an occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,673 Americans carry the last name Gambill. That puts it at #7,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,348 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gambill 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
4.7K
1 in 73,348
Census rank
#7,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,075 bearers of the surname Gambill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambill, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gambill
The surname Gambill has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a variant of the name Camville, which was derived from the Old French "cam" meaning "bend" and "ville" meaning "town" or "village." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a place name, possibly referring to a town or village located along a bend in a river or road.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Gambill can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Gambell." This was a census-like record of landholders in England during the reign of King Edward I. The spelling variations during this time period included Gambell, Gambill, and Gambyll.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire, where a William Gambull is recorded as a taxpayer in 1327. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in the West Midlands region of England during the Middle Ages.
The Gambill surname gained prominence in the 16th century, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was John Gambill, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from approximately 1520 to 1590. He played a significant role in the city's maritime trade and was involved in the exploration and colonization efforts of the time.
Another important figure was Thomas Gambill, a Puritan minister who lived from 1566 to 1637. He served as the vicar of Staveley, Derbyshire, and was known for his strict adherence to Puritan principles and his opposition to the Anglican Church's practices.
In the 17th century, the name Gambill appears in the parish records of several English counties, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Richard Gambill, a landowner and member of the gentry in Worcestershire, who lived from 1620 to 1678.
As the centuries progressed, the Gambill name spread beyond England to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. One prominent individual with this surname was Robert Gambill, an early settler in Virginia, who arrived in the colony in the late 17th century and established a successful plantation.
In the 19th century, the Gambill surname gained further recognition with individuals like William Gambill, a British politician and Member of Parliament for Stafford from 1832 to 1835, and James Gambill, an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gambill
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambill, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gambill 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 Gambill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 3,609
- Two or more races4.3% · 175
- Black or African American2.7% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gambill
Gambill 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
#7,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,227
+96 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 403 places
2020
#7,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,075
-152 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Up 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,432 | 4,131 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,835 | 4,227 | 1.43 | +96 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 403 places |
| 2020 | #7,808 | 4,075 | 1.36 | -152 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 27 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 Gambill 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 | #7,835 | #7,808 | 0.3% |
| Count | 4,227 | 4,075 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.36 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gambill bearers went from 4,227 to 4,075 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,835 to #7,808.
FAQ
Gambill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gambill?
Name Census estimates that about 4,673 living Americans carry the surname Gambill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,348 residents.
How common is Gambill?
Gambill ranks #7,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,075 people with the surname Gambill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,673), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Gambill.
Has Gambill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gambill went from 4,227 recorded bearers to 4,075. That is a decrease of 152 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,835 to #7,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Gambill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambill, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Gambill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (3,609 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gambill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (2.7%). 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 Gambill (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 Gambill mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "smelter of iron ore" in Old English, referring to an occupation. 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 Gambill (1.36 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 Gambill?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.