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

Gaskill, 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 Gaskill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaskill in America

Gaskill is the 6139th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaskill surname appeared 5,581 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gaskill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaskill 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 Gaskill

The surname Gaskill has its origins in the north of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "gærs" meaning grass and "scill" meaning a small hut or dwelling, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a grassy area or near a meadow.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name comes from the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1332, where a Robert del Gaskill is mentioned. This early spelling variation, "del Gaskill," reflects the Norman-French influence on English surnames during that period.

The Gaskill surname has also been associated with the town of Gaskill or Gaskell in Cheshire, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Casegehil." This place name likely originated from the Old English "cæse" meaning cheese and "hyll" meaning hill, suggesting a possible connection between the surname and a cheese-making settlement on a hill.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Parish Registers of Wigan in Lancashire, where a Richard Gaskill is recorded in 1592. During this time, the spelling variation "Gaskell" also emerged, particularly in the Cheshire and Lancashire regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Gaskill include:

1. Thomas Gaskill (1619-1687), an English Quaker minister and author from Yorkshire.
2. John Gaskill (1737-1798), an American Revolutionary War soldier from New Jersey.
3. George Gaskill (1809-1888), a British painter and engraver from London.
4. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865), a renowned English novelist and biographer, best known for her novel "Cranford."
5. Walter Holbrook Gaskill (1847-1914), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.

Throughout its history, the Gaskill surname has maintained a strong presence in northern England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire, as well as in parts of the United States, where it was carried by early English settlers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaskill

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

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

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

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