2000
#8,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,575
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Gibb
A Scottish and English occupational surname derived from a shortened form of the name Gilbert.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,051 Americans carry the last name Gibb. That puts it at #8,895 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,610 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gibb 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 Gibb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,610
Census rank
#8,895
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,533 bearers of the surname Gibb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8895th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibb, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gibb
The surname GIBB is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gib" or "Gibb," which is a pet form of the name "Gilbert." The name is thought to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GIBB can be found in the Scottish Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Gib." This medieval document contains the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore fealty to Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
The name GIBB is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, indicating that individuals with this surname held positions of some importance during that time period.
In the 16th century, the surname GIBB appeared in various spellings, including "Gib," "Gibb," and "Gibbs," in records from the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire.
One notable individual with the surname GIBB was Sir Alexander Gibb (1796-1867), a Scottish civil engineer who designed and constructed the Southampton Docks and oversaw the construction of numerous railways and waterways throughout the United Kingdom.
Another prominent figure was Sir George Stegmann Gibb (1850-1925), a Scottish physician and medical pioneer who made significant contributions to the study of diseases such as typhoid fever and malaria.
In the literary world, the Scottish author and poet Wilfred Wilson Gibson (1878-1962), whose mother's maiden name was GIBB, gained recognition for his works that explored the lives of ordinary people and the struggles of the working class.
The name GIBB can also be found in historical records from other parts of the world, such as the United States, where individuals bearing this surname arrived as early as the 17th century. One notable American with this surname was John Gibb (1776-1850), a Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the first president of the Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.
Additionally, the surname GIBB has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Gibb Hill in Lanarkshire and Gibb's Cross in Ayrshire, further reinforcing its Scottish roots and geographical connections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gibb
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibb, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gibb 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 Gibb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 3,158
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 153
- Black or African American2.5% · 87
- Two or more races2.4% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gibb
Gibb 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
#9,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,502
-73 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 805 places
2020
#8,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,533
+31 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,488 | 3,575 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,293 | 3,502 | 1.19 | -73 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 805 places |
| 2020 | #8,895 | 3,533 | 1.18 | +31 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 398 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 Gibb 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 | #9,293 | #8,895 | 4.3% |
| Count | 3,502 | 3,533 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.18 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gibb bearers went from 3,502 to 3,533 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 398 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,293 to #8,895.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gibb
FAQ
Gibb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gibb?
Name Census estimates that about 4,051 living Americans carry the surname Gibb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,610 residents.
How common is Gibb?
Gibb ranks #8,895 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,533 people with the surname Gibb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Gibb.
Has Gibb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gibb went from 3,502 recorded bearers to 3,533. That is an increase of 31 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,293 to #8,895.
What does the Census say about the background of Gibb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibb, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Black (2.5%). 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 Gibb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (3,158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gibb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), Black (2.5%). 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 Gibb (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 Gibb mean?
A Scottish and English occupational surname derived from a shortened form of the name Gilbert. 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 Gibb (1.18 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 Americans have the surname Gibb?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.