2000
#1,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,993
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.75
Uncommon Last name
Gibbons
Derived from the medieval diminutive of Gilbert, meaning "bright pledge," or from a nickname for someone with a cheerful disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,656 Americans carry the last name Gibbons. That puts it at #1,212 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gibbons 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 Gibbons with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,496
Census rank
#1,212
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,478 bearers of the surname Gibbons in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1212th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibbons, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gibbons
The surname Gibbons has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 12th century. It is derived from the old English word "gibbe", meaning a male cat or tomcat. The name likely referred to someone with cat-like features or characteristics.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gibbons can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a Robert Gibbons is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire from 1221, which mentions a Robert Gibbun.
The Gibbons surname is also found in various medieval records and manuscripts, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Roger Gybun in Oxfordshire. The name is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Gibbon is listed.
In the 16th century, the Gibbons surname can be found in various parish records and local histories. One notable example is William Gibbons, a prominent clockmaker who lived in London from 1583 to 1624. Another famous bearer of the name was Orlando Gibbons, an English composer and organist who lived from 1583 to 1625.
During the 17th century, the Gibbons family established themselves in various parts of England, including Buckinghamshire, where a branch of the family owned estates near Olney. One notable member of this branch was Grinling Gibbons, a renowned English sculptor and wood carver who lived from 1648 to 1721.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gibbons include John Gibbons, an English actor and playwright who lived from 1615 to 1667, and Thomas Gibbons, an English Catholic priest and author who lived from 1720 to 1785.
Over time, the Gibbons surname has spread across the English-speaking world, with many descendants settling in countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its origins can be traced back to medieval England and the old English word "gibbe".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gibbons
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibbons, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gibbons 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 Gibbons surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 23,127
- Black or African American10.4% · 2,959
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,047
- Two or more races3.5% · 987
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 239
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 119
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gibbons
Gibbons 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
#1,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,824
+831 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 10.11
Rank movement Down 79 places
2020
#1,212
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,478
-1,346 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 9.53
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,104 | 28,993 | 10.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,183 | 29,824 | 10.11 | +831 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 79 places |
| 2020 | #1,212 | 28,478 | 9.53 | -1,346 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 29 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 Gibbons 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 | #1,183 | #1,212 | -2.5% |
| Count | 29,824 | 28,478 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 10.11 | 9.53 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gibbons bearers went from 29,824 to 28,478 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,183 to #1,212.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gibbons
FAQ
Gibbons surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gibbons?
Name Census estimates that about 32,656 living Americans carry the surname Gibbons. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,496 residents.
How common is Gibbons?
Gibbons ranks #1,212 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,478 people with the surname Gibbons. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Gibbons.
Has Gibbons become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gibbons went from 29,824 recorded bearers to 28,478. That is a decrease of 1,346 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,183 to #1,212.
What does the Census say about the background of Gibbons?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibbons, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Gibbons in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (23,127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gibbons appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), Black (10.4%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Gibbons (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 Gibbons mean?
Derived from the medieval diminutive of Gilbert, meaning "bright pledge," or from a nickname for someone with a cheerful disposition. 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 Gibbons (9.53 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 have the surname Gibbons?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.