2000
#981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 12.00
Uncommon Last name
Gamble
An English occupational surname for a person who operated a gambling establishment or was an avid gambler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,912 Americans carry the last name Gamble. That puts it at #1,069 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gamble 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gamble with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,286
Census rank
#1,069
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,189 bearers of the surname Gamble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1069th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamble, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.9%. The next largest groups are Black (35.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gamble
The surname Gamble is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "gamen," meaning "game" or "sport." It likely emerged as a descriptive name for someone associated with games, sports, or perhaps even gambling.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest known bearers was William Gammel, mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. The variation Gammel was common in medieval times, reflecting the name's evolution from "gamen."
In the late 14th century, John Gamyll was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379. This spelling variation further demonstrates the fluidity of the name's form throughout history.
The Gamble surname can be traced to various regions of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Staffordshire. Some early examples include Thomas Gamyll of Yorkshire, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Lay Subsidy Rolls in 1301, and John Gamyll of Lancashire, recorded in the Wills and Inventories of the Archdeaconry of Richmond in 1535.
The name may have also derived from place names, such as Gamble Brook in Staffordshire, indicating that some individuals may have taken their surname from the location where they resided.
Notable historical figures with the Gamble surname include:
1. Sir William Gamble (1672-1749), an Irish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Killybegs.
2. John Gamble (1610-1687), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of St. Cross Hospital, Winchester.
3. John Gamble (1755-1811), an American Revolutionary War officer and politician from Virginia.
4. James Gamble (1803-1891), an Irish-born American businessman who co-founded the Procter & Gamble Company in 1837.
5. Mary Gamble (1859-1938), an American educator and philanthropist who established the Gamble Institute in St. Louis, Missouri.
While the Gamble surname has English roots, it has spread worldwide over the centuries, with notable bearers in various countries and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamble
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamble, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.9%. The next largest groups are Black (35.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gamble 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 Gamble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.9% · 17,669
- Black or African American35.9% · 11,569
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,455
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,069
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 253
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 174
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gamble
Gamble 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
#1,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,005
+1,628 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 11.53
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#1,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,189
-1,816 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 10.77
Rank movement Down 45 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #981 | 32,377 | 12.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,024 | 34,005 | 11.53 | +1,628 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #1,069 | 32,189 | 10.77 | -1,816 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 45 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 Gamble 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 | #1,024 | #1,069 | -4.4% |
| Count | 34,005 | 32,189 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 11.53 | 10.77 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gamble bearers went from 34,005 to 32,189 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 45 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,024 to #1,069.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gamble
FAQ
Gamble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gamble?
Name Census estimates that about 36,912 living Americans carry the surname Gamble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,286 residents.
How common is Gamble?
Gamble ranks #1,069 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,189 people with the surname Gamble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,912), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Gamble.
Has Gamble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gamble went from 34,005 recorded bearers to 32,189. That is a decrease of 1,816 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,024 to #1,069.
What does the Census say about the background of Gamble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamble, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.9%. The next largest groups are Black (35.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Gamble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.9% (17,669 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gamble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.9%), Black (35.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Gamble (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 Gamble mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who operated a gambling establishment or was an avid gambler. 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 Gamble (10.77 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 Gamble?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.