2000
#10,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,837
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Giblin
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Giblín, meaning "descendant of Giblín," derived from a pet form of Gilbert.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,055 Americans carry the last name Giblin. That puts it at #11,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,195 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giblin 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 Giblin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 112,195
Census rank
#11,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,664 bearers of the surname Giblin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giblin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giblin
Among Census respondents with the surname Giblin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Giblin 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 Giblin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 2,458
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 101
- Two or more races2.5% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giblin
Giblin 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
#11,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,794
-43 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 889 places
2020
#11,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,664
-130 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,413 | 2,837 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,302 | 2,794 | 0.95 | -43 bearers (-1.5%) | Down 889 places |
| 2020 | #11,326 | 2,664 | 0.89 | -130 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 24 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 Giblin 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 | #11,302 | #11,326 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,794 | 2,664 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.89 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giblin bearers went from 2,794 to 2,664 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,302 to #11,326.
FAQ
Giblin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giblin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,055 living Americans carry the surname Giblin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,195 residents.
How common is Giblin?
Giblin ranks #11,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,664 people with the surname Giblin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,055), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Giblin.
Has Giblin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giblin went from 2,794 recorded bearers to 2,664. That is a decrease of 130 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,302 to #11,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Giblin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giblin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Giblin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (2,458 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giblin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (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 Giblin (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 Giblin mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Giblín, meaning "descendant of Giblín," derived from a pet form of 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 Giblin (0.89 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 Giblin?
Want to know how many people have the last name Giblin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.