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

Gamel, 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 Gamel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gamel in America

Gamel is the 22026th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gamel surname appeared 1,177 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 Gamel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gamel 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 Gamel

The surname Gamel originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "gamel," which means "old" or "elderly." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to an elderly person or someone with an elderly appearance.

Gamel is considered a locational surname, meaning it likely referred to someone who hailed from a place or town with a similar name. Some theories suggest it could be linked to the village of Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Gemelinge."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Gamel can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, dated 1195, which listed a Thomas Gamel. Another early record is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1205, mentioning a William Gamel.

In the 13th century, a notable individual named Walter Gamel served as the Sheriff of Lincolnshire from 1248 to 1252. Similarly, a Richard Gamel was recorded as a landowner in Wiltshire during the same period.

During the 14th century, a John Gamel was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Additionally, the Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem, a record of English inquests post mortem, lists a Thomas Gamel from Yorkshire in 1379.

In the 15th century, the surname appears in various records, including the Oxford University Register, which mentions a John Gamel in 1455, and the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the influential Paston family, which references a William Gamel in 1472.

Over the centuries, the surname Gamel has undergone various spelling variations, such as Gamell, Gammell, and Gemmell, reflecting the changing orthography and regional dialects of English. Despite its rarity today, the surname Gamel has left a distinct mark on the historical records of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gamel

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

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

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

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