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

Giblin, 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 Giblin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Giblin in America

Giblin is the 11302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Giblin surname appeared 2,794 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 Giblin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Giblin 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 Giblin

The surname Giblin originates from Ireland, with its roots dating back to the early Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old Irish Gaelic name "Gibilin," which itself is a diminutive form of the name "Gibbun," meaning "little hawk" or "little noble bird."

The name Giblin was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cork and Kerry in the southwestern region of Ireland. While not as prominent as some of the more widespread Irish surnames, it can be found in ancient records and manuscripts from as early as the 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Giblin appears in the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks at the Inisfallen Abbey on an island in Lough Leane, County Kerry, during the 13th century. The annals mention a certain "Gibelinus Ó Súilleabháin" who was involved in a local conflict in the year 1249.

In the 16th century, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a John Giblin was noted as being a landowner in the parish of Kilcrohane, near the town of Bantry in County Cork. This suggests that the Giblin family had established itself as a respected clan in the region by this time.

One of the most famous individuals with the Giblin surname was Sir Ralph Giblin (1608-1682), a prominent Anglo-Irish lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas from 1661 to 1682. He was a staunch loyalist to the English Crown during the tumultuous period of the English Civil War and the subsequent Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.

Another noteworthy figure was Father Patrick Giblin (1736-1804), an Irish Catholic priest and scholar who is remembered for his work in preserving and promoting the Irish language and culture during the Penal Laws era when such activities were suppressed by the English authorities.

In more recent centuries, the Giblin name has been carried by individuals such as John Giblin (1824-1901), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Richmond, Virginia, in the United States, and Michael Giblin (1865-1925), an Australian politician who served as a member of the Senate and was a prominent advocate for workers' rights and social welfare reforms.

While the Giblin surname may not be as widespread as some of the more renowned Irish names, it has a rich history that spans many centuries and has been borne by individuals of note in various fields, from law and religion to politics and public service.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Giblin

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

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

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

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