2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gambina
An Italian surname derived from the medieval personal name "Gambino", a diminutive of "Gambo" meaning "stem" or "stalk".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Gambina. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gambina 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Gambina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambina, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gambina
The surname GAMBINA is believed to have originated in Italy during the medieval period, specifically in the region of Sicily. It is likely derived from the Italian word "gambina," which means "little leg" or "small leg." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive nickname given to an ancestor with a distinctive physical feature, such as thin or short legs.
The earliest recorded instances of the GAMBINA surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various Sicilian records and documents. One notable reference is found in the "Acta Curie Felicis Urbis Panhormi" (Acts of the Felicitous Court of Palermo), a collection of legal records from the city of Palermo, where the name GAMBINA appears in relation to land transactions and legal disputes.
During the 14th century, the GAMBINA family seems to have established a presence in the town of Monreale, located just outside of Palermo. Historical records from this period mention several individuals bearing the GAMBINA surname, including Guglielmo GAMBINA, a landowner and merchant who lived between 1320 and 1387.
In the 15th century, the name GAMBINA appears in various cadastral records and tax rolls from the cities of Palermo and Monreale, indicating that the family had achieved a certain degree of wealth and prominence in the region.
One notable figure from this period was Antonino GAMBINA, a renowned jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1425 to 1498. He served as a judge in the Sicilian court system and authored several influential works on Sicilian law and jurisprudence.
In the 16th century, the GAMBINA family continued to play a role in the cultural and intellectual life of Sicily. Pietro GAMBINA (1512-1590) was a respected poet and humanist who was part of the literary circle surrounding the influential poet and philosopher Giovanni Aurispa.
Another notable individual from this period was Vincenzo GAMBINA (1568-1638), a Sicilian architect who designed several churches and palaces in the Baroque style, including the Chiesa di San Giuseppe dei Teatini in Palermo.
As the centuries progressed, the GAMBINA surname spread beyond Sicily to other parts of Italy and even to other countries, carried by merchants, soldiers, and emigrants seeking new opportunities. However, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the medieval period in the Sicilian regions of Palermo and Monreale.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gambina
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambina, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gambina 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 Gambina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino14.3% · 16
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gambina
Gambina 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+10 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 894 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,753 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 894 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,753 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 Gambina 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 | #146,201 | #147,954 | -1.2% |
| Count | 113 | 112 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gambina bearers went from 113 to 112 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,753 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,954.
FAQ
Gambina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gambina?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Gambina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Gambina?
Gambina ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Gambina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Gambina.
Has Gambina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gambina went from 113 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Gambina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gambina, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.3%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Gambina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gambina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Hispanic (14.3%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Gambina (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 Gambina mean?
An Italian surname derived from the medieval personal name "Gambino", a diminutive of "Gambo" meaning "stem" or "stalk". 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 Gambina (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 common is the surname Gambina?
Want to know how many people have the surname Gambina? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.