Gambler last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Gambler

A surname derived from an ancestor's occupation or reputation involving gambling or betting.

Gambler, 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 Gambler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gambler in America

Gambler is the 52383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gambler surname appeared 396 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 Gambler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gambler 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 52383 51945 0.84%
Count 396 376 5.18%
Proportion per 100k 0.13 0.14 -7.41%

The history of the last name Gambler

The surname "GAMBLER" is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "gamen," which means "game" or "sport." The name likely originated in the 12th or 13th century and was initially used as an occupational surname for someone who organized or participated in games or sporting events.

The earliest recorded instance of the name "GAMBLER" dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. During this period, the name was sometimes spelled as "Gameler" or "Gameler." In the 14th century, the surname was also found in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where it was recorded as "Gamiller."

One of the earliest known bearers of the name "GAMBLER" was John Gambler, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Gamblesby, Cumberland, in the late 14th century. The village's name is believed to have derived from the surname, suggesting that the Gamblers were among the early settlers in the area.

In the 16th century, the surname "GAMBLER" appeared in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire. One notable entry from 1562 mentions a Thomas Gambler, who was a yeoman farmer in the village.

During the 17th century, the name "GAMBLER" became more widespread across England. In 1642, a William Gambler from Oxfordshire served as a captain in the Parliamentarian army during the English Civil War. Another prominent bearer of the name was Robert Gambler, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who was born in 1654 and died in 1712.

In the 18th century, the surname "GAMBLER" was found in various parts of England, including London, where a John Gambler (1710-1789) was a successful businessman and member of the Worshipful Company of Grocers.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "GAMBLER," including:

  1. William Gambler (1672-1744), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Wilts.
  2. James Gambler (1756-1811), a British Royal Navy officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
  3. Samuel Gambler (1783-1862), a British army officer who fought in the Peninsular War and later became a Member of Parliament.
  4. Mary Gambler (1869-1953), a British artist and sculptor known for her portrait busts and public monuments.
  5. John Gambler (1894-1976), a British politician and member of the Labour Party who served as a Member of Parliament for over 30 years.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gambler

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

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 Gambler was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 69.70% 276
Non-Hispanic Black Only 5.05% 20
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 21.72% 86
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.77% 7
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Gambler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 69.70% 70.48% -1.11%
Black 5.05% 8.24% -48.01%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 21.72% 16.76% 25.78%
Two or More Races 1.77% 2.93% -49.36%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Gambler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gambler-surname-popularity/.

"Gambler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gambler-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 December, 2024

Gambler last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gambler-surname-popularity/.

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