2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gamson
Likely a variant spelling of the surname Gameson, it is of Scottish origin meaning the son of Gamell.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Gamson. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gamson 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 Gamson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Gamson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamson, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gamson
The surname Gamson is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Gam", which means "game" or "joy". The name likely referred to a cheerful or playful person.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Gamson dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gamelesune" in Wiltshire. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Gamelsun, Gamlesune, and Gamelson, before settling into the modern form of Gamson.
During the medieval period, the Gamson family held lands in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. In the 13th century, a notable figure named William de Gamson was recorded as a landowner in these regions.
The name Gamson is also linked to several place names in England, such as Gamston in Nottinghamshire and Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire. These toponyms may have influenced the surname's spelling and pronunciation over time.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Gamson was John Gamson, born around 1450 in Oxfordshire. He was a prominent merchant and served as a local magistrate during the reign of Henry VII.
Another noteworthy figure was Sir Robert Gamson (1510-1582), a respected military commander who fought in the Anglo-Scottish Wars under Edward VI and Mary I.
In the 17th century, the Gamson family gained prominence in the city of Bristol, where Thomas Gamson (1632-1701) was a successful merchant and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the city's infrastructure and charitable institutions.
The 18th century saw the birth of William Gamson (1748-1823), a renowned scholar and author who published several works on English literature and history.
In the 19th century, the Gamson name gained recognition through the achievements of Mary Gamson (1822-1891), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded one of the first schools for girls in London and played a crucial role in the early feminist movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamson
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamson, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gamson 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 Gamson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gamson
Gamson 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+33 bearers (+26.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 14,586 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-44 bearers (-27.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 34,742 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | +33 bearers (+26.0%) | Up 14,586 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -44 bearers (-27.5%) | Down 34,742 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 Gamson 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 | #110,286 | #145,028 | -31.5% |
| Count | 160 | 116 | -27.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gamson bearers went from 160 to 116 (-27.5% change). The surname moved down 34,742 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #145,028.
FAQ
Gamson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gamson?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Gamson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Gamson?
Gamson ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Gamson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gamson.
Has Gamson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gamson went from 160 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 44 (-27.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,286 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Gamson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gamson, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gamson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gamson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gamson (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 Gamson mean?
Likely a variant spelling of the surname Gameson, it is of Scottish origin meaning the son of Gamell. 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 Gamson (0.04 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 Gamson?
Find out how many people have the last name Gamson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.