2000
#3,818
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,533
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Gilbertson
Son of Gilbert, an English patronymic surname derived from the Norman French personal name Gilbert, meaning "bright pledge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,409 Americans carry the last name Gilbertson. That puts it at #4,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,428 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilbertson 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 Gilbertson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.4K
1 in 36,428
Census rank
#4,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,205 bearers of the surname Gilbertson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilbertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilbertson
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilbertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilbertson 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 Gilbertson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 7,703
- Two or more races2.4% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 73
- Black or African American0.4% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilbertson
Gilbertson 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
#4,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,621
+88 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 300 places
2020
#4,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,205
-416 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,818 | 8,533 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,118 | 8,621 | 2.92 | +88 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 300 places |
| 2020 | #4,183 | 8,205 | 2.75 | -416 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 65 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 Gilbertson 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 | #4,118 | #4,183 | -1.6% |
| Count | 8,621 | 8,205 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.92 | 2.75 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilbertson bearers went from 8,621 to 8,205 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,118 to #4,183.
FAQ
Gilbertson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilbertson?
Name Census estimates that about 9,409 living Americans carry the surname Gilbertson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,428 residents.
How common is Gilbertson?
Gilbertson ranks #4,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,205 people with the surname Gilbertson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gilbertson.
Has Gilbertson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilbertson went from 8,621 recorded bearers to 8,205. That is a decrease of 416 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,118 to #4,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilbertson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilbertson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Gilbertson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (7,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilbertson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Gilbertson (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 Gilbertson mean?
Son of Gilbert, an English patronymic surname derived from the Norman French personal name Gilbert, 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 Gilbertson (2.75 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 common is the surname Gilbertson?
Find out how many people have the last name Gilbertson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.