2000
#9,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Gamino
A Spanish surname derived from the word "camino," meaning "road" or "path."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,924 Americans carry the last name Gamino. That puts it at #7,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,609 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gamino 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
4.9K
1 in 69,609
Census rank
#7,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,294 bearers of the surname Gamino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gamino
The surname Gamino is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "gamino," which means "traveler" or "wanderer." This suggests that the name may have originally been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who lived an itinerant lifestyle or frequently traveled from place to place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gamino surname can be found in historical documents from the 13th century, when it appeared as "Gamyno" in the archives of the Kingdom of Aragon. This early spelling variation hints at the name's evolution over time and provides insight into its ancient origins.
During the 15th century, the Gamino surname gained prominence in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the city of Seville. Records from this period mention several notable individuals bearing the name, including Pedro Gamino, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived between 1420 and 1498.
As the Spanish Empire expanded its reach across the Atlantic Ocean in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Gamino surname traveled with explorers and settlers to the Americas. One famous bearer of the name was Juan Gamino, a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.
In the 18th century, the Gamino surname was well-established in parts of Latin America, particularly in Mexico and Colombia. In Mexico, a prominent figure was Father José Gamino, a Franciscan friar and missionary who founded several missions in the region of Baja California between 1720 and 1784.
Another notable individual with the Gamino surname was María Gamino, a Spanish poet and writer who lived in the late 18th century. Her work, which focused on themes of love and nature, gained her recognition in literary circles throughout Spain and Latin America.
As the centuries passed, the Gamino surname continued to spread across the globe, carried by Spanish and Latin American immigrants to various regions. While its geographic distribution has expanded over time, the name's origins can be traced back to its Spanish roots and the historical significance it held in the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamino
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gamino 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 Gamino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.9% · 3,988
- White5.4% · 233
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 38
- Two or more races0.3% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gamino
Gamino 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
#7,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,724
+1,469 bearers (+45.1%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Up 2,127 places
2020
#7,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,294
-430 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,215 | 3,255 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,088 | 4,724 | 1.60 | +1,469 bearers (+45.1%) | Up 2,127 places |
| 2020 | #7,480 | 4,294 | 1.44 | -430 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 392 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 Gamino 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 | #7,088 | #7,480 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,724 | 4,294 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.60 | 1.44 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gamino bearers went from 4,724 to 4,294 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 392 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,088 to #7,480.
FAQ
Gamino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gamino?
Name Census estimates that about 4,924 living Americans carry the surname Gamino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,609 residents.
How common is Gamino?
Gamino ranks #7,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,294 people with the surname Gamino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gamino.
Has Gamino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gamino went from 4,724 recorded bearers to 4,294. That is a decrease of 430 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,088 to #7,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Gamino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.9%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gamino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (3,988 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gamino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.9%), White (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gamino (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 Gamino mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the word "camino," meaning "road" or "path." 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 Gamino (1.44 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 have the last name Gamino?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Gamino at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.