2000
#478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,514
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.17
Uncommon Last name
Gibbs
A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Gilbert, which means "bright pledge" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 72,251 Americans carry the last name Gibbs. That puts it at #523 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 21.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gibbs 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 Gibbs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
72K
1 in 4,744
Census rank
#523
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
21.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
63K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 63,006 bearers of the surname Gibbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 21.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 523rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gibbs
The surname Gibbs has its origins in England, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be a derivative of the Old English word "gib," which referred to a male goat or ram. This could have been used as a nickname for someone with a beard or a ram-like appearance, or it may have been a reference to someone who worked with goats or sheep.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gibbs can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and their properties compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the 11th century.
The name Gibbs has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Gibbstown and Gibside. These place names may have originated from individuals bearing the surname Gibbs, indicating that the name was widespread across different regions.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gibbs was John Gibbs, who was born in England in 1544. He was a prominent figure in the English Reformation and served as the Bishop of Worcester from 1612 until his death in 1633.
Another notable bearer of the name was Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), an English composer and organist who served as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal during the reigns of James I and Charles I. He is considered one of the most famous composers of the English Renaissance.
In the 18th century, Samuel Gibbs (1718-1786) was a renowned English goldsmith and jeweler who worked in London. His craftsmanship was highly sought after, and he produced works for members of the British royal family.
Lewis Gibbs (1810-1894) was an American politician who served as the 27th Governor of Arkansas from 1868 to 1871. He played a significant role in the reconstruction efforts following the American Civil War.
Another prominent figure was Sir Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839-1903), an American scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern chemical thermodynamics and is renowned for his work on statistical mechanics and the formulation of the phase rule.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gibbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gibbs 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 Gibbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.5% · 39,994
- Black or African American27.5% · 17,297
- Two or more races4.3% · 2,730
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,215
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 393
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 377
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gibbs
Gibbs 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
#515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 65,064
+2,550 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 22.06
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,006
-2,058 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 21.08
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #478 | 62,514 | 23.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #515 | 65,064 | 22.06 | +2,550 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #523 | 63,006 | 21.08 | -2,058 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 8 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 Gibbs 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 | #515 | #523 | -1.6% |
| Count | 65,064 | 63,006 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 22.06 | 21.08 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gibbs bearers went from 65,064 to 63,006 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #515 to #523.
FAQ
Gibbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gibbs?
Name Census estimates that about 72,251 living Americans carry the surname Gibbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,744 residents.
How common is Gibbs?
Gibbs ranks #523 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 21.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 63,006 people with the surname Gibbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (72,251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 21.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 21.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Gibbs.
Has Gibbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gibbs went from 65,064 recorded bearers to 63,006. That is a decrease of 2,058 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #515 to #523.
What does the Census say about the background of Gibbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.5%. The next largest groups are Black (27.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Gibbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.5% (39,994 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gibbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.5%), Black (27.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Gibbs (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 Gibbs mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Gilbert, which means "bright pledge" in Old English. 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 Gibbs (21.08 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 last name Gibbs?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Gibbs, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.