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

Gants, 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 Gants surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gants in America

Gants is the 122314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gants surname appeared 141 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 Gants.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gants 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 Gants

The surname GANTS has its origins in France, where it first appeared in the latter part of the 11th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old French word "gant," meaning glove, which itself traces back to the Germanic root word "ganti." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a glove maker or seller.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GANTS can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Willelmus Gants" appears in this document, referring to a Norman landowner in Lincolnshire.

In the 12th century, the name GANTS appeared in various historical records across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. Some early spellings of the name included Ganz, Gante, and Gaunts.

A notable figure bearing the GANTS surname was Sir John Gaunts, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1320 and served under Edward III, participating in several campaigns against the French.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Gilbert Gantes, a French composer and musician who lived in the latter half of the 15th century. He is known for his contributions to the Burgundian School of Renaissance music.

In the 16th century, the GANTS surname gained recognition through the work of Richard Gant, an English writer and translator who was born around 1530. His most notable work was a translation of the Italian epic poem "Orlando Furioso" by Ludovico Ariosto.

The name GANTS has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For example, the village of Gants Hill in Essex, England, is believed to have derived its name from an early landowner with the surname GANTS.

Other notable individuals bearing this surname include Sir John Gaunts (c. 1490-1556), an English lawyer and judge during the reign of Henry VIII, and Sir Thomas Gants (1601-1668), an English politician who served as a member of parliament during the English Civil War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gants

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

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

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

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