2000
#12,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,378
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Gentle
Derived from a nickname for a well-mannered, meek, or kind person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,719 Americans carry the last name Gentle. That puts it at #12,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,059 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gentle 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 Gentle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,059
Census rank
#12,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,371 bearers of the surname Gentle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gentle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gentle
Among Census respondents with the surname Gentle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gentle 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 Gentle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.6% · 1,507
- Black or African American25.3% · 600
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 114
- Two or more races4.2% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gentle
Gentle 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
#11,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,696
+318 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 418 places
2020
#12,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,371
-325 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 856 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,045 | 2,378 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,627 | 2,696 | 0.91 | +318 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 418 places |
| 2020 | #12,483 | 2,371 | 0.79 | -325 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 856 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 Gentle 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 | #11,627 | #12,483 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,696 | 2,371 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.79 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gentle bearers went from 2,696 to 2,371 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 856 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,627 to #12,483.
FAQ
Gentle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gentle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,719 living Americans carry the surname Gentle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,059 residents.
How common is Gentle?
Gentle ranks #12,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,371 people with the surname Gentle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,719), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Gentle.
Has Gentle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gentle went from 2,696 recorded bearers to 2,371. That is a decrease of 325 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,627 to #12,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Gentle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gentle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.3%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Gentle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.6% (1,507 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gentle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.6%), Black (25.3%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Gentle (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 Gentle mean?
Derived from a nickname for a well-mannered, meek, or kind person. 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 Gentle (0.79 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 are called Gentle?
If you just want to know how many people are called Gentle, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.