2000
#243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112,406
First available Census row
Per 100,000 41.67
Common Last name
Gilbert
An English surname derived from the Germanic name Giselbert, meaning "bright pledge" or "shining promise."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124,800 Americans carry the last name Gilbert. That puts it at #284 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 36.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,746 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilbert 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 Gilbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125K
1 in 2,746
Census rank
#284
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
36.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108,832 bearers of the surname Gilbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 36.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 284th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilbert 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 Gilbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 81,708
- Black or African American15.7% · 17,135
- Two or more races4.0% · 4,350
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4,137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 756
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 746
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilbert
Gilbert 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
#268
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114,940
+2,534 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 38.97
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108,832
-6,108 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 36.41
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #243 | 112,406 | 41.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #268 | 114,940 | 38.97 | +2,534 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #284 | 108,832 | 36.41 | -6,108 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 16 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 Gilbert 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 | #268 | #284 | -6.0% |
| Count | 114,940 | 108,832 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 38.97 | 36.41 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilbert bearers went from 114,940 to 108,832 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #268 to #284.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gilbert
FAQ
Gilbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilbert?
Name Census estimates that about 124,800 living Americans carry the surname Gilbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,746 residents.
How common is Gilbert?
Gilbert ranks #284 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 36.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 36 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 108,832 people with the surname Gilbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 36.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 36.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 36 of them to have the surname Gilbert.
Has Gilbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilbert went from 114,940 recorded bearers to 108,832. That is a decrease of 6,108 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #268 to #284.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Gilbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (81,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), Black (15.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Gilbert (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 Gilbert mean?
An English surname derived from the Germanic name Giselbert, meaning "bright pledge" or "shining promise." 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 Gilbert (36.41 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 Gilbert?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Gilbert on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.