2000
#1,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.80
Uncommon Last name
Gaston
A French topographic surname for someone who lived near a large house, from Old French gaste meaning "residence."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,482 Americans carry the last name Gaston. That puts it at #1,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,955 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaston 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 Gaston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 15,955
Census rank
#1,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,733 bearers of the surname Gaston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaston, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.3%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaston
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaston, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.3%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaston 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 Gaston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.3% · 8,856
- Black or African American40.4% · 7,576
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 1,223
- Two or more races4.6% · 864
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 154
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 60
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaston
Gaston 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
#1,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,502
+1,154 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 6.61
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#1,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,733
-769 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 6.27
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,797 | 18,348 | 6.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,837 | 19,502 | 6.61 | +1,154 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #1,880 | 18,733 | 6.27 | -769 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 43 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 Gaston 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 | #1,837 | #1,880 | -2.3% |
| Count | 19,502 | 18,733 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.61 | 6.27 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaston bearers went from 19,502 to 18,733 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,837 to #1,880.
FAQ
Gaston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaston?
Name Census estimates that about 21,482 living Americans carry the surname Gaston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,955 residents.
How common is Gaston?
Gaston ranks #1,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,733 people with the surname Gaston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,482), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Gaston.
Has Gaston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaston went from 19,502 recorded bearers to 18,733. That is a decrease of 769 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,837 to #1,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaston, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.3%. The next largest groups are Black (40.4%) and Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Gaston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.3% (8,856 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.3%), Black (40.4%), Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Gaston (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 Gaston mean?
A French topographic surname for someone who lived near a large house, from Old French gaste meaning "residence." 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 Gaston (6.27 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 share the surname Gaston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.