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

Gaston, 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 Gaston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaston in America

Gaston is the 1837th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaston surname appeared 19,502 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Gaston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaston 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 Gaston

The surname Gaston originated in France during the late medieval period, arising from the personal name Gaston, which itself derived from the Germanic elements "gast" meaning "stranger" or "guest" and "hun" meaning "warrior" or "fighter." This combination suggests the name may have been given to a foreigner or outsider who displayed prowess in battle.

Records indicate the name was particularly prevalent in the Gascony region of southwestern France, where it likely emerged as a distinguishing surname among the local nobility and landed gentry. One of the earliest documented instances is found in the 12th century Cartulary of Conques, which mentions a Gastonis de Bearnio.

The surname gained prominence through the illustrious Gastons of the Foix-Béarn dynasty, who ruled over the County of Foix and later the Kingdom of Navarre from the 11th to the 16th centuries. Notable bearers include Gaston IV of Béarn (c. 1225-1290), a powerful military leader during the Albigensian Crusade, and Gaston de Foix (1489-1512), a renowned French military commander praised for his bravery at the Battle of Ravenna.

Other early mentions can be found in the 13th century English Pipe Rolls, which record a Willelmus Gaston and a Robertus Gaston. Meanwhile, the 14th century Poll Tax records of Yorkshire list several individuals with the Gaston surname, suggesting it had spread beyond France by that point.

In later centuries, the name continued to be associated with notable figures, such as the French philosopher and satirist Jacques Gaston (1657-1733), and the British naval officer Sir Gaston Lefebvre (1809-1889), who played a key role in the Crimean War. The American artist Tessa Gaston (1844-1923) was also a renowned portraitist during the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaston

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

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

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

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