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

Gaskell, 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 Gaskell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaskell in America

Gaskell is the 21288th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaskell surname appeared 1,231 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 Gaskell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaskell 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 Gaskell

The surname Gaskell originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "gærs" meaning grass and "scyll" meaning shed or shelter, suggesting it was initially given to someone who lived in a hut or dwelling surrounded by grassy fields.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199, where it is listed as "Gershill." Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of Gaskell, although variations like Garshill, Gershil, and Gascoigne were also used.

The name Gaskell is closely associated with the region of Cheshire in northwest England, where many families bearing this surname have resided for centuries. The Gaskells of Cheshire were prominent landowners and influential members of the local community.

One notable figure from this lineage was William Gaskell (1805-1884), a prominent Unitarian minister and social reformer. His wife, Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865), was a celebrated novelist and biographer, best known for her works such as "Cranford" and "North and South."

Another prominent Gaskell was Walter Holbrook Gaskell (1847-1914), a renowned British physiologist who made significant contributions to the understanding of the cardiovascular system. His research on the electrical properties of the heart paved the way for modern cardiac electrophysiology.

In the field of literature, George Armstrong Gaskell (1909-1999) was an English poet and editor who served as the editor of the London Magazine and contributed to the Oxford Book of Contemporary Verse.

The Gaskells have also left their mark in architecture, with George Gaskell (1764-1842) being a notable English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Liverpool during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

While the name Gaskell has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the grassy fields of England, where the first bearers of this surname likely resided in humble dwellings surrounded by nature's verdant embrace.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaskell

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

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

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

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