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

Gilpin, 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 Gilpin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilpin in America

Gilpin is the 5713th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilpin surname appeared 6,070 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gilpin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilpin 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 Gilpin

The surname Gilpin has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French words "gile," meaning "guile" or "deceit," and "pin," meaning "hill" or "thorn." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived on a thorn-covered hill or may have been a descriptive nickname for a crafty or cunning individual.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Gilpin name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Gilbert Gylpin in Westmorland, now part of Cumbria. This indicates that the name was already well-established in northern England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the Gilpin family held lands in the village of Kentmere, near Kendal in Westmorland. A notable member of this family was Richard Gilpin (c. 1300), who served as Sheriff of Cumberland in 1299 and was involved in border disputes with Scotland.

Another early bearer of the Gilpin name was William Gilpin (c. 1516-1583), an English Protestant clergyman and author who served as the chaplain to King Edward VI and later as the Archdeacon of Shropshire. He was a vocal critic of the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation.

In the 17th century, Bernard Gilpin (1517-1584) was a renowned English preacher and reformer who became known as the "Apostle of the North." He was a prominent figure in the Anglican Church and worked to improve the living conditions and education of the poor in the northern counties.

One of the most famous individuals with the Gilpin surname was William Gilpin (1724-1804), an English artist, writer, and clergyman who is considered one of the originators of the concept of the picturesque in art and landscape appreciation. His influential works, such as "Observations on the River Wye" (1782), helped shape the Romantic movement in literature and art.

Other notable Gilpins include John Gilpin (c. 1510-1565), an English theologian and Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake during the Marian Persecutions; and Richard Gilpin (1625-1699), an English Nonconformist minister and author who wrote extensively on religious and moral topics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilpin

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

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

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

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