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

Gaskin, 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 Gaskin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaskin in America

Gaskin is the 4987th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaskin surname appeared 7,039 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 Gaskin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaskin 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 Gaskin

The surname Gaskin is of English origin, derived from the Old English word 'gærs' meaning grass and 'cyning' meaning king or lord. It is believed to have originated as a descriptive surname, referring to a person who lived near a grassy area or held lands where grass was abundant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaskin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Gersekyn'. This entry refers to a landowner in the county of Worcestershire. The spelling variations of the name during this period included Garskin, Gerskin, and Greskin.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, where it was spelled as 'Garsekyn'. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275 listed a John Garsekyn as a taxpayer.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Gaskin throughout history include:

1. Sir John Gaskin (c. 1450-1520), an English merchant and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the court of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

2. Thomas Gaskin (1590-1642), an English clergyman and author of the book "A Treatise on the Art of Preaching".

3. Mary Gaskin (1737-1811), an English novelist and playwright known for her works such as "The Quakers" and "The Highlands of Scotland".

4. William Gaskin (1788-1864), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a rear admiral.

5. John Gaskin (1866-1948), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Gaskin Foundation, which supported educational institutions in his home state of Tennessee.

The surname Gaskin has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gaskin Wood in Worcestershire and Gaskin Farm in Gloucestershire, which may have contributed to the origin and spread of the surname in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaskin

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

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

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

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