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

Gentle, 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 Gentle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gentle in America

Gentle is the 11627th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gentle surname appeared 2,696 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gentle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gentle 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 Gentle

The surname "Gentle" is derived from the Old French word "gentil", meaning "high-born" or "noble". It is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded use of the surname "Gentle" dates back to the late 12th century in Normandy, France. It was likely given as a descriptive name to someone who was considered to have noble or gentle qualities.

In England, the name first appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was William le Gentyl, who was listed as living in Oxfordshire.

In the 14th century, the name "Gentle" was found in various medieval records, including the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, where a John Gentill was mentioned in 1379.

During the 16th century, the surname "Gentle" was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was Thomas Gentle (1567-1617), an English clergyman and author who wrote a book on the Book of Revelation.

Another individual of note was John Gentle (1597-1665), an English politician and member of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War.

In the 17th century, the surname "Gentle" appeared in the records of the Virginia Colony in America. One of the earliest settlers with this name was William Gentle, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname "Gentle" was Sir Samuel Gentle (1720-1798), a British Member of Parliament and a wealthy merchant who owned plantations in the West Indies.

During the 19th century, the surname "Gentle" was found across various parts of the English-speaking world. One notable individual was William Gentle (1825-1904), an Australian politician and businessman who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.

Another significant figure was James Gentle (1856-1931), a Scottish-born American civil engineer who was involved in the construction of several major infrastructure projects, including the Panama Canal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gentle

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

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

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

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