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

Gambrell, 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 Gambrell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gambrell in America

Gambrell is the 6530th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gambrell surname appeared 5,190 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gambrell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gambrell 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.

The history of the last name Gambrell

The surname Gambrell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English words "gamb" and "hrill," meaning "horse" and "leg" respectively. This combination suggests a possible connection to horse riding or horse breeding.

The earliest known record of the name Gambrell dates back to the late 13th century in the county of Lancashire, where it was spelled as "Gambrel." It is believed that the name may have initially referred to a person who had a peculiar way of walking or riding a horse, or perhaps someone who was involved in equestrian activities.

As the name spread throughout England, it underwent various spelling variations, including Gambrell, Gambrill, and Gamberell. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gambrell was John Gambrell, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Another notable early bearer of the name was William Gambrell, a landowner in Cheshire, whose name appeared in the Feet of Fines records from 1491.

In the 16th century, the surname Gambrell gained prominence in the county of Staffordshire, where a family of that name owned land and property. One notable member was Thomas Gambrell (1540-1611), a successful merchant and alderman in the city of Lichfield.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Gambrell families migrated to the American colonies, where the name continued to evolve and spread. One of the earliest recorded instances in the colonies was that of George Gambrell, who settled in Virginia in 1635.

Another notable figure was John Gambrell (1723-1803), a soldier and surveyor from South Carolina who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was instrumental in establishing the city of Greenville, which was named after his close friend and fellow soldier, Nathanael Greene.

In the 19th century, the Gambrell surname gained further recognition with individuals like James Gambrell (1801-1879), a Baptist minister and educator from Georgia, and John Marshall Gambrell (1865-1937), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Georgia.

While the origins of the Gambrell surname can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread across various parts of the world, carried by individuals who have contributed to diverse fields, from military service to politics and religion.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gambrell

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

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 Gambrell was:

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!