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

Gelin, 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 Gelin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gelin in America

Gelin is the 22246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gelin surname appeared 1,159 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gelin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gelin 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 Gelin

The surname Gelin is believed to have originated in the region of Brittany, located in northwestern France. This name is derived from the Breton word "gelen," which translates to "golden" or "blond." The Breton language is a Celtic language closely related to Cornish and Welsh, spoken in Brittany.

In the early Middle Ages, Brittany was a semi-independent duchy with close ties to the neighboring Norman regions. During this period, many surnames emerged as a way to identify individuals beyond their given names, often reflecting physical characteristics, occupations, or places of origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gelin can be found in the Cartulaire de Redon, a medieval cartulary (collection of charters) from the Abbey of Redon in Brittany, dating back to the 9th century. This document mentions a person named "Guelenocus filius Guilin," suggesting a connection between the name Gelin and the Breton word "gelen."

In the 11th century, a nobleman named Gelin de Cornouaille was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England conducted under the order of William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing the surname Gelin may have migrated from Brittany to England during the Norman conquest.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Gelin can be traced back to Raoul Gelin, a Breton nobleman who lived in the 12th century. Another notable figure was Jean Gelin, a Breton scholar and historian who lived in the 15th century (1420-1491).

During the 16th century, a prominent individual named Guillaume Gelin (1510-1580) was a French jurist and judge from Normandy. He served as a counselor in the Parliament of Rouen and was known for his legal expertise.

In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the surname Gelin was Jacques Gelin (1615-1691), a French mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was a member of the French Academy of Sciences.

Moving into the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Gelin (1736-1810) was a French revolutionary and politician. He played an active role in the French Revolution and served as a deputy in the National Convention.

While the surname Gelin has its roots in the Breton region of France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including other European countries and beyond, carried by individuals and families who migrated from their ancestral homeland over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gelin

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

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

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

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