2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gilks
A variant of the Scots surname "Gielks", meaning "a person from Gelksland".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Gilks. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilks 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 Gilks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Gilks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilks, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gilks
The surname Gilks originated in England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gilc," which referred to a ravine or a deep, narrow valley. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked in such a geographical feature.
The Gilks name is thought to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval tax rolls and parish records from these regions.
One notable historical reference to the Gilks name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire, dated 1332. This document lists a "Gilbertus del Gilkes" among the taxpayers of the time. The use of the preposition "del" (from the) before the surname suggests that the name was associated with a specific location or landholding.
In the 16th century, the surname appears to have been concentrated in the Furness region of Lancashire. Records from this period show variations in spelling, such as "Gilkes," "Gylkes," and "Gylks."
Notable individuals with the surname Gilks throughout history include:
1. John Gilks (c. 1585-1657), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the rector of Ashton-under-Lyne in Lancashire.
2. William Gilks (1732-1811), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Clitheroe from 1784 to 1790.
3. Thomas Gilks (1833-1912), a prominent English industrialist and founder of the Gilks Engineering Company in Manchester.
4. Mary Gilks (1865-1947), a British suffragist and activist who campaigned for women's rights and participated in the Suffragette movement.
5. Walter Gilks (1891-1970), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Lancashire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.
While the Gilks name has been present in historical records for centuries, it is important to note that its prevalence and geographical distribution may have shifted over time due to migration and other factors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilks
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilks, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilks 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 Gilks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilks
Gilks 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,104 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,104 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,305 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 Gilks 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 | #144,141 | #149,446 | -3.7% |
| Count | 115 | 110 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilks bearers went from 115 to 110 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #149,446.
FAQ
Gilks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilks?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Gilks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Gilks?
Gilks ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Gilks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Gilks.
Has Gilks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilks went from 115 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilks, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Gilks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (5.5%), Black (3.6%). 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 Gilks (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 Gilks mean?
A variant of the Scots surname "Gielks", meaning "a person from Gelksland". 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 Gilks (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 Americans have the surname Gilks?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.