2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Gibs
A surname originating from the Scottish/Gaelic word "giob" meaning "piece" or "fragment".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gibs. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gibs 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 Gibs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Gibs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibs, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gibs
The surname GIBS is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variation of the name Gibbs, which itself is derived from the medieval given name Gilbert, a name of Germanic origin meaning "bright pledge" or "brilliant vow."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GIBS can be found in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a collection of legal documents from the 13th century. In this record, a certain Robert Gibs is mentioned as being involved in a land transaction.
Another early reference to the name GIBS is found in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex from the year 1327, which lists a John Gibs as a taxpayer in the county.
In the 15th century, the surname GIBS appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a William Gibs is recorded as a tenant farmer.
One notable bearer of the surname GIBS was Sir John Gibs (1492-1556), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Bristol, England. He served as Sheriff of Bristol in 1532 and was knighted by King Henry VIII in recognition of his generous support for various charitable causes.
Another individual of historical significance was Elizabeth Gibs (1589-1662), an English Puritan writer and religious scholar. She authored several influential works on theology and was considered a leading figure in the Puritan movement of her time.
In the 18th century, the name GIBS was associated with the village of Gibside in County Durham, England. The Gibbs family, who held the title of Lords of Gibside, were prominent landowners in the area and played a significant role in the development of the local community.
One member of this family, George Gibs (1720-1794), was a renowned architect and garden designer. He is best known for his work on the Gibside Estate, which included the construction of the grand Gibside Chapel and the creation of the impressive Gibside landscape gardens.
In the 19th century, the surname GIBS was carried by several notable figures, including Sir Samuel Gibs (1810-1887), a British naval officer and explorer who made significant contributions to the mapping of the Arctic regions.
Additionally, Josiah Willard Gibs (1839-1903) was an American scientist and mathematician who made groundbreaking advances in the field of chemical thermodynamics and is credited with developing the Gibbs free energy concept.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gibs
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibs, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gibs 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 Gibs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.0% · 65
- Black or African American20.2% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gibs
Gibs appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Gibs 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gibs bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gibs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gibs?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gibs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gibs?
Gibs ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Gibs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gibs.
Has Gibs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gibs went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gibs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibs, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Hispanic (11.4%). 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 Gibs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.0% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gibs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.0%), Black (20.2%), Hispanic (11.4%). 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 Gibs (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 Gibs mean?
A surname originating from the Scottish/Gaelic word "giob" meaning "piece" or "fragment". 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 Gibs (0.04 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 common is the surname Gibs?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Gibs on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.