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

Gim, 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 Gim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gim in America

Gim is the 50362nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gim surname appeared 415 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gim 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 Gim

The surname Gim is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, with roots tracing back to the Dutch word "gijm," which means "yeast." This connection suggests that the name may have initially been associated with bakers or those involved in the production of fermented goods.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Gim can be found in various Dutch historical records, including church registers and municipal archives. One notable example is the mention of a Pieter Gim in the records of the city of Leiden in 1593, where he is listed as a master baker.

As the Dutch explored and colonized other parts of the world, the name Gim spread beyond the Netherlands. In the 17th century, the first instances of the name appeared in Dutch settlements in present-day South Africa, such as the Cape Colony. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gim in this region was Jan Gim, who was born in 1672 and worked as a farmer in the Cape settlement.

The name Gim also found its way to the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) during the colonial era. One notable figure was Cornelis Gim, a Dutch East Indies Company official who served as the Governor of Malacca from 1708 to 1712.

In the United States, the name Gim first appeared in the late 18th century, likely brought by Dutch immigrants. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Dirk Gim, a farmer from New York who was born in 1778.

Another notable person with the surname Gim was Hendrik Gim, a Dutch artist born in 1819. He was known for his landscape paintings and was a member of the Hague School of painters.

Over the centuries, the surname Gim has evolved and taken on various spellings, such as Ghim, Giem, and Ghiem, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. However, the core meaning and connection to the Dutch word "gijm" and its association with baking and fermentation have remained a central part of the name's legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gim

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

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

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

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