2000
#5,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.31
Rare Last name
Gammon
An English occupational surname for a vendor or curer of ham or bacon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,477 Americans carry the last name Gammon. That puts it at #5,885 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,919 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gammon 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 Gammon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,919
Census rank
#5,885
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,648 bearers of the surname Gammon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5885th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gammon, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gammon
The surname GAMMON is of English origin, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gamen," which means "game" or "sport." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname to someone who enjoyed games or had a playful nature.
The earliest known record of the GAMMON surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where a certain Walter Gamun is mentioned. This early spelling variation "Gamun" highlights the evolution of the name over time.
In the 13th century, the GAMMON surname is found in various records, including the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a Richard Gamun in Oxfordshire. This indicates that the name had spread to different regions of England by that time.
During the 14th century, the GAMMON surname gained prominence, with notable individuals like John Gammon, a landowner in Somerset mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327. Additionally, the Placita de Quo Warranto records from 1346 mention a Richard Gammon in Hertfordshire.
One of the earliest known recorded instances of the GAMMON surname in its modern spelling can be found in the Feet of Fines records from Staffordshire in 1430, which reference a John Gammon.
Notable historical figures with the GAMMON surname include:
1. William Gammon (c. 1490 - 1549), an English churchman who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1539 until his death.
2. Robert Gammon (c. 1550 - 1609), an English merchant and explorer who participated in voyages to the West Indies and South America.
3. John Gammon (1623 - 1687), an English nonconformist minister and author known for his work "The Christian's Consolation."
4. Bartholomew Gammon (1677 - 1732), an English architect and surveyor who worked on several notable buildings in London.
5. William Gammon (1788 - 1864), an English cricketer who played for Kent and was considered one of the leading batsmen of his time.
The GAMMON surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gammonfield in Shropshire and Gammonsbury in Hertfordshire, further reinforcing its longstanding presence in the country's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gammon
Among Census respondents with the surname Gammon, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gammon 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 Gammon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 4,810
- Black or African American7.0% · 396
- Two or more races3.3% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gammon
Gammon 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
#5,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,415
+177 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#5,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,648
-767 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 457 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,159 | 6,238 | 2.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,428 | 6,415 | 2.17 | +177 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #5,885 | 5,648 | 1.89 | -767 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 457 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 Gammon 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 | #5,428 | #5,885 | -8.4% |
| Count | 6,415 | 5,648 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 1.89 | -12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gammon bearers went from 6,415 to 5,648 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 457 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,428 to #5,885.
FAQ
Gammon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gammon?
Name Census estimates that about 6,477 living Americans carry the surname Gammon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,919 residents.
How common is Gammon?
Gammon ranks #5,885 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,648 people with the surname Gammon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gammon.
Has Gammon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gammon went from 6,415 recorded bearers to 5,648. That is a decrease of 767 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,428 to #5,885.
What does the Census say about the background of Gammon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gammon, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Gammon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (4,810 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gammon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.2%), Black (7.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Gammon (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 Gammon mean?
An English occupational surname for a vendor or curer of ham or bacon. 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 Gammon (1.89 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 are called Gammon?
Want to know how many people have the surname Gammon? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.