2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Giff
A variant spelling of the English surname Gibb, derived from a medieval nickname for someone with a protruding jaw or underbite.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Giff. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giff 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 Giff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Giff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giff, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giff
The surname GIFF is of English origin, first appearing in the 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "gifu" meaning "gift" or "present". The name likely originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was generous or a gift-giver.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries for people with the surname GIFF or similar spellings like Giffe and Giffard. These early records indicate the name was present in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Essex, and Gloucestershire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GIFF is found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a John Giff. Another early example is from the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379, listing a Thomas Gyffe.
The name GIFF is also linked to several place names in England, such as Giffard's Cross in Gloucestershire and Giffhorn in Yorkshire. These place names likely derived from early landowners or residents with the surname GIFF.
Notable individuals with the surname GIFF throughout history include:
1. William Giff (1554-1629), an English churchman and theologian who served as the Dean of Lichfield Cathedral.
2. John Giff (1598-1672), an English clergyman and author of several religious works.
3. Robert Giff (1837-1920), a Scottish painter known for his landscape and genre paintings.
4. George Giff (1914-1999), an American actor who appeared in various films and television shows in the mid-20th century.
5. Michael Giff (born 1955), a British artist and sculptor known for his public art installations.
While the surname GIFF is not as common today as some other English surnames, it has a long and interesting history dating back to the Middle Ages, with connections to both linguistic roots and geographical locations across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giff
Among Census respondents with the surname Giff, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Giff 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 Giff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.7% · 64
- Black or African American26.1% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.7% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 8
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giff
Giff 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+12 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,477 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 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 11,477 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 Giff 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 | #145,757 | 7.3% |
| Count | 103 | 115 | 11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giff bearers went from 103 to 115 (+11.7% change). The surname moved up 11,477 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #145,757.
FAQ
Giff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giff?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Giff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Giff?
Giff ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Giff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Giff.
Has Giff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giff went from 103 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 12 (+11.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Giff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giff, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.7%. The next largest groups are Black (26.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (8.7%). 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 Giff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.7% (64 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.7%), Black (26.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.7%). 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 Giff (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 Giff mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Gibb, derived from a medieval nickname for someone with a protruding jaw or underbite. 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 Giff (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 many people share the surname Giff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.