2000
#4,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,754
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.50
Rare Last name
Gaskin
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or watercourse.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,742 Americans carry the last name Gaskin. That puts it at #5,035 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaskin 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 Gaskin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,272
Census rank
#5,035
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,751 bearers of the surname Gaskin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5035th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.0%. The next largest groups are Black (44.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaskin
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.0%. The next largest groups are Black (44.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaskin 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 Gaskin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.0% · 3,040
- Black or African American44.5% · 3,002
- Two or more races5.3% · 356
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 289
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaskin
Gaskin 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
#4,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,039
+285 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.39
Rank movement Down 208 places
2020
#5,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,751
-288 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,779 | 6,754 | 2.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,987 | 7,039 | 2.39 | +285 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 208 places |
| 2020 | #5,035 | 6,751 | 2.26 | -288 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 48 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 Gaskin 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 | #4,987 | #5,035 | -1.0% |
| Count | 7,039 | 6,751 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.39 | 2.26 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaskin bearers went from 7,039 to 6,751 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,987 to #5,035.
FAQ
Gaskin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaskin?
Name Census estimates that about 7,742 living Americans carry the surname Gaskin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,272 residents.
How common is Gaskin?
Gaskin ranks #5,035 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,751 people with the surname Gaskin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,742), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gaskin.
Has Gaskin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaskin went from 7,039 recorded bearers to 6,751. That is a decrease of 288 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,987 to #5,035.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaskin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaskin, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.0%. The next largest groups are Black (44.5%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Gaskin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.0% (3,040 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaskin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.0%), Black (44.5%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Gaskin (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 Gaskin mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or watercourse. 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 Gaskin (2.26 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 Gaskin?
You can see how many people are called Gaskin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.