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

Gaul, 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 Gaul surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaul in America

Gaul is the 7189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaul surname appeared 4,650 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 Gaul.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaul 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 Gaul

The surname GAUL is of Norman origin and derives from the ancient region of Gaul, which encompassed modern-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and areas of Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged as a locational surname in the years following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The name traces its roots back to the Latin word "Gallus," which referred to the inhabitants of Gaul and the broader Gaulish culture that existed in the region before the Roman conquest. As the Normans established their rule in England, individuals from Gaul who settled in the country likely adopted the surname GAUL to identify their ancestral origins.

Historical records from the 12th and 13th centuries provide some of the earliest known references to the surname GAUL. One notable mention appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, which lists a Robert de Gale, an early variant spelling of the name. The Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the surname GAUL, suggesting its emergence came later.

Over the centuries, the surname GAUL has undergone various spelling variations, including Gale, Gall, and Galle, reflecting regional dialects and scribal inconsistencies in record-keeping. It is also linked to several place names in England, such as Gaulby in Leicestershire and Galley in Yorkshire, which may have influenced the surname's development.

Notable individuals with the surname GAUL throughout history include John Gale (1680-1721), an English Baptist minister and scholar known for his work "Reflections on Mr. Wall's History of Infant Baptism." Another prominent figure was Theophilus Gale (1628-1678), an English nonconformist minister and theologian who authored several influential works on theology and philosophy.

In the realm of literature, the surname is associated with writers like Jonas Gaulthuillier (c. 1505-1573), a French Protestant poet and historian, and Theophilus Gale (1628-1678), an English nonconformist minister and theologian who authored several influential works on theology and philosophy. Additionally, the name is linked to military figures such as John Gale (1680-1721), a British Army officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession.

Throughout its history, the surname GAUL has maintained a presence in various regions of Europe and beyond, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural influences that have shaped its evolution over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaul

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

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

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

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