2000
#91,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 187
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Gammie
A Scottish surname originating as a nickname for an eccentric or witty person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 212 Americans carry the last name Gammie. That puts it at #103,399 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,616,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gammie 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 Gammie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
212
1 in 1,616,766
Census rank
#103,399
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
185
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 185 bearers of the surname Gammie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 103399th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gammie, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gammie
The surname Gammie is believed to have originated in Scotland, with the earliest records of the name dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Scots Gaelic word "gamaidh," meaning "crooked" or "bent," potentially referring to a physical characteristic or the occupation of a person living in a crooked or winding area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gammie surname can be found in the Parish Records of Aberdeen, Scotland, where a John Gammie was mentioned in 1597. The name also appears in the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland in 1607, where a Thomas Gammie was referenced.
In the 17th century, the Gammie surname was primarily concentrated in the northeastern regions of Scotland, particularly in Aberdeenshire and Banffshire. Several historical figures with this surname emerged during this time, including James Gammie (1622-1696), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and principal of King's College, Aberdeen.
The Gammie name has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Gammie Burn and Gammie Hill, both located in Aberdeenshire. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of Gammie families in those areas.
Notable individuals bearing the Gammie surname throughout history include:
1. Alexander Gammie (1641-1730), a Scottish Episcopal minister and author, born in Banffshire.
2. John Gammie (1690-1766), a Scottish Presbyterian minister and historian, born in Aberdeenshire.
3. James Gammie (1777-1857), a Scottish-Canadian merchant and landowner in Nova Scotia.
4. George Gammie (1786-1860), a Scottish-Canadian farmer and landowner in Nova Scotia, brother of James Gammie.
5. Alexander Gammie (1830-1905), a Scottish-Canadian businessman and politician in New Brunswick.
While the Gammie surname has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through Scottish emigration and settlement in countries like Canada, the United States, and others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gammie
Among Census respondents with the surname Gammie, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gammie 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 Gammie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 14
- Black or African American5.9% · 11
- Two or more races1.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gammie
Gammie 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
#100,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
-7 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,898 places
2020
#103,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 185
+5 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 3,097 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,404 | 187 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #100,302 | 180 | 0.06 | -7 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 8,898 places |
| 2020 | #103,399 | 185 | 0.06 | +5 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 3,097 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 Gammie 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 | #100,302 | #103,399 | -3.1% |
| Count | 180 | 185 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | 3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gammie bearers went from 180 to 185 (+2.8% change). The surname moved down 3,097 positions in the national ranking, going from #100,302 to #103,399.
FAQ
Gammie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gammie?
Name Census estimates that about 212 living Americans carry the surname Gammie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,616,766 residents.
How common is Gammie?
Gammie ranks #103,399 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 185 people with the surname Gammie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gammie.
Has Gammie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gammie went from 180 recorded bearers to 185. That is an increase of 5 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #100,302 to #103,399.
What does the Census say about the background of Gammie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gammie, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Black (5.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gammie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gammie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Hispanic (7.6%), Black (5.9%). 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 Gammie (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 Gammie mean?
A Scottish surname originating as a nickname for an eccentric or witty person. 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 Gammie (0.06 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 Gammie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.