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

Gilbertson, 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 Gilbertson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilbertson in America

Gilbertson is the 4118th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilbertson surname appeared 8,621 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Gilbertson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilbertson 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 Gilbertson

The surname Gilbertson is of English origin, derived from the personal name Gilbert and the patronymic suffix "-son", meaning "son of". The name Gilbert is an ancient Germanic name composed of the elements "gisil" (hostage or noble youth) and "berht" (bright or famous).

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Gilbertson dates back to the late 12th century in Yorkshire, England. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any entries for the surname Gilbertson, suggesting that the name emerged later.

During the medieval period, the surname Gilbertson was predominantly found in the northern English counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. Some early recorded variations of the spelling include Gilbertson, Gilbertsson, and Gylbertson.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Gilbertson was Robert Gilbertson, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls in 1297. Another early bearer of the name was William Gilbertson, recorded in the Lancashire Inquests of 1310.

In the 16th century, the Gilbertson family had established a presence in the village of Lund, located in the historic county of Lancashire. A notable member of this branch was Thomas Gilbertson (c. 1570-1640), a wealthy landowner and benefactor who endowed a grammar school in Lund.

Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the surname Gilbertson, including:

1. John Gilbertson (1789-1856), an English botanist and naturalist known for his studies of bryophytes (mosses and liverworts).
2. William Gilbertson (1788-1858), an English landscape painter renowned for his depictions of rural scenes in Yorkshire.
3. Frederic Gilbertson (1854-1933), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Liverpool, including the Philharmonic Hall.
4. Eliza Gilbertson (1830-1891), an English author and educational reformer who advocated for improved education for women.
5. Hans Gilbertson (1928-2002), a Norwegian-American artist and illustrator best known for his illustrations in children's books.

The surname Gilbertson has been widely dispersed throughout the English-speaking world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, due to migration and settlement patterns of English families over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilbertson

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

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

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

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