2000
#119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 184,420
First available Census row
Per 100,000 68.36
Common Last name
Gibson
An English surname referring to the son of Gilbert, derived from the Old English name Giselberhrt meaning "bright pledge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 209,756 Americans carry the last name Gibson. That puts it at #136 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 61.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gibson 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 Gibson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
210K
1 in 1,634
Census rank
#136
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
61.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
183K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 182,917 bearers of the surname Gibson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 61.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibson, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gibson
The surname Gibson originated in England, with the earliest known references dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the given name Gilbert, which was popular among the Normans and ultimately stems from the Germanic name Gisalbarht, meaning "bright pledge" or "bright as an arrow."
One of the earliest known records of the name Gibson is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, where a man named William Gibunson is mentioned. This spelling variation reflects the common practice of adding "son" to a father's name to create a surname during that period.
The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. In these rolls, the surname is recorded as Gibsone, suggesting the name's evolution over time.
As the Gibson family spread across England, various place names became associated with the surname. For example, in the 13th century, there were records of individuals named Gibson in areas like Gibsonton, Yorkshire, and Gibston, Leicestershire, which likely contributed to the surname's development.
One notable individual with the surname Gibson was Thomas Gibson, a prominent English publisher and bookseller who lived from 1531 to 1600. He was granted a royal patent by Queen Elizabeth I and played a significant role in the printing and distribution of books during the Elizabethan era.
Another influential figure was William Gibson, an English playwright and poet who lived from 1597 to 1662. He is best known for his collaboration with Francis Beaumont on several popular plays, including "The Coxcomb" and "A Wife for a Month."
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gibson was Isaac Gibson, a Quaker who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. He was born in 1633 and played a role in the establishment of the Quaker community in the American colonies.
In the 19th century, John Banister Gibson (1780-1853) was a notable American jurist and legal scholar. He served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and was highly regarded for his contributions to the development of American jurisprudence.
Another prominent individual with the surname Gibson was Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944), an American graphic artist and illustrator. He was best known for his creation of the iconic "Gibson Girl" image, which became a celebrated representation of the modern American woman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gibson
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibson, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gibson 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 Gibson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 126,670
- Black or African American21.4% · 39,218
- Two or more races4.6% · 8,348
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 5,915
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1,640
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,126
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gibson
Gibson 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
#130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190,667
+6,247 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 64.64
Rank movement Down 11 places
2020
#136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182,917
-7,750 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 61.20
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119 | 184,420 | 68.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130 | 190,667 | 64.64 | +6,247 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 11 places |
| 2020 | #136 | 182,917 | 61.20 | -7,750 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 6 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 Gibson 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 | #130 | #136 | -4.6% |
| Count | 190,667 | 182,917 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 64.64 | 61.20 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gibson bearers went from 190,667 to 182,917 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #130 to #136.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gibson
FAQ
Gibson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gibson?
Name Census estimates that about 209,756 living Americans carry the surname Gibson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,634 residents.
How common is Gibson?
Gibson ranks #136 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 61.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 61 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 182,917 people with the surname Gibson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (209,756), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 61.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 61.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 61 of them to have the surname Gibson.
Has Gibson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gibson went from 190,667 recorded bearers to 182,917. That is a decrease of 7,750 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #130 to #136.
What does the Census say about the background of Gibson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gibson, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (21.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gibson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (126,670 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gibson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.2%), Black (21.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gibson (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 Gibson mean?
An English surname referring to the son of Gilbert, derived from the Old English name Giselberhrt meaning "bright pledge." 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 Gibson (61.20 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 share the surname Gibson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.