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

Gilbert, 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 Gilbert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilbert in America

Gilbert is the 268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilbert surname appeared 114,940 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 39 people would have the surname Gilbert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilbert 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 Gilbert

The surname Gilbert is of French origin, derived from the medieval Germanic personal name Gisilbert, which was composed of the elements "gisil" meaning a hostage or noble youth, and "berht" meaning bright or brilliant. The name first appeared in Normandy and northern France during the early Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the Gilbert surname can be traced back to the late 11th century in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Gislebertus" and "Gillebertus" among landholders in various counties across England following the Norman Conquest. These spellings reflect the French Norman influence on the name's evolution.

In the 12th century, the Gilbert surname began to spread across Europe, with notable bearers such as Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke (1100-1148), a prominent Anglo-Norman nobleman and military leader during the Anarchy period in England. Another early bearer was Gilbert of Sempringham (1083-1189), an English priest and founder of the Gilbertine Order of monasteries.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname's spelling variations included Gilebert,Gilberd, and Gilberte, reflecting the evolving pronunciation and dialect influences across different regions. One notable figure from this era was Sir Humphrey Gilbert (c. 1539-1583), an English explorer and pioneer of British colonization who was granted letters patent by Queen Elizabeth I to establish settlements in North America.

In later centuries, the Gilbert surname continued to be prominent, with individuals like Sir John Gilbert (1723-1798), a British portrait painter and member of the Royal Academy, and Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911), the renowned English dramatist, librettist, and playwright who collaborated with Arthur Sullivan on numerous popular operettas, including The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado.

Other notable bearers of the Gilbert surname include Charles Gilbert (1859-1940), an American actor and playwright, and Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854-1934), an English sculptor and goldsmith best known for his intricate designs and decorative works, such as the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in London.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilbert

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

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

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

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