2000
#13,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,991
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Gathers
An occupational surname for a tax collector or rent collector in medieval England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,293 Americans carry the last name Gathers. That puts it at #14,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gathers 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.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 149,479
Census rank
#14,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,000 bearers of the surname Gathers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gathers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gathers
The surname GATHERS is of English origin, originating from the Middle English word "gaderen," which means "to gather" or "to collect." This name likely originated as an occupational surname, given to someone whose profession involved gathering crops, firewood, or other materials.
The earliest recorded instance of this surname dates back to the late 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, England. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was John le Gatherere, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1275.
In the 14th century, the surname GATHERS appeared in various records across England, including the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1327, which listed a Robert le Gaderere. The name also appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1349, where a John Gaderer was recorded.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Gatherer, Gatherere, and Gatherer, as evidenced by parish records and court documents from that time period.
One notable bearer of this surname was William Gatherall (1592-1649), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of Uffington, Lincolnshire. He is known for his work "The General Practice of the Spiritual or Ecclesiastical Courts," published in 1672.
Another individual of note was John Gathers (1625-1699), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial mechanics. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and served as the Savilian Professor of Astronomy at the University of Oxford.
In the 18th century, the GATHERS surname was found in various parts of England, with concentrations in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Cambridgeshire. One prominent figure from this era was Thomas Gathers (1730-1802), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Wareham, Dorset, from 1768 to 1790.
Moving into the 19th century, the GATHERS surname continued to be present in various regions of England, with some bearers migrating to other parts of the world, such as North America and Australia. One notable individual from this period was William Gathers (1857-1931), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Automobile Club and the St. Ermin's Hotel.
Throughout its history, the surname GATHERS has been closely associated with occupations related to gathering and collecting, reflecting its origins as an occupational surname. While the name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its underlying meaning and connection to the act of gathering have remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gathers
Among Census respondents with the surname Gathers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gathers 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 Gathers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American75.1% · 1,503
- White16.4% · 327
- Two or more races5.1% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gathers
Gathers 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
#13,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
+231 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 280 places
2020
#14,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,000
-222 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 768 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,907 | 1,991 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,627 | 2,222 | 0.75 | +231 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 280 places |
| 2020 | #14,395 | 2,000 | 0.67 | -222 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 768 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 Gathers 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 | #13,627 | #14,395 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,222 | 2,000 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.67 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gathers bearers went from 2,222 to 2,000 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 768 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,627 to #14,395.
FAQ
Gathers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gathers?
Name Census estimates that about 2,293 living Americans carry the surname Gathers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,479 residents.
How common is Gathers?
Gathers ranks #14,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,000 people with the surname Gathers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,293), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gathers.
Has Gathers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gathers went from 2,222 recorded bearers to 2,000. That is a decrease of 222 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,627 to #14,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Gathers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gathers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gathers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (1,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gathers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (75.1%), White (16.4%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Gathers (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 Gathers mean?
An occupational surname for a tax collector or rent collector in medieval England. 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 Gathers (0.67 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 have the surname Gathers?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.