Gipson last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Gipson

Derived from the medieval personal name Gib or Gibb, a short form of Gilbert, meaning "bright pledge."

Gipson, 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 Gipson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gipson in America

Gipson is the 1843rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gipson surname appeared 19,470 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Gipson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gipson 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 1843 1803 2.19%
Count 19,470 18,289 6.26%
Proportion per 100k 6.60 6.78 -2.69%

The history of the last name Gipson

The surname Gipson originated in England. It is believed to have derived from the medieval given name Gibbe, a pet form of Gilbert. The name Gilbert itself is of Germanic origin, coming from the elements "gisil" meaning hostage and "berht" meaning bright or famous.

Gipson is a patronymic surname, meaning it was originally formed by adding the suffix "-son" to the name Gibbe, indicating "son of Gibbe". This practice of creating surnames from a father's given name was common in medieval England and other parts of Europe.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gipson date back to the late 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, compiled in 1273, there is a mention of a Richard Gibbesone. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also include a Robert Gybbessone.

Over time, the spelling of the surname evolved, with various forms like Gypson, Gybson, and Gipson appearing in historical records. This was due to the lack of standardized spelling in earlier times and variations in pronunciation across different regions.

One notable historical figure with the surname Gipson was Thomas Gipson, a 17th-century English composer and organist. He served as the organist at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford and is known for his contributions to church music.

Another individual of note was John Gipson, a 19th-century English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons and the National Gallery.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gipson was William Gipson, born in Virginia in 1746. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Kentucky.

Eliza Gipson, born in 1845 in Mississippi, was a renowned teacher and advocate for education during the Reconstruction era in the United States. She founded several schools for African American children in the South.

Henry Gipson, born in 1887 in Arkansas, was a baseball player who played in the Negro Leagues in the early 20th century. He was a talented pitcher and played for several teams, including the Kansas City Monarchs.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gipson

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

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 Gipson was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 48.17% 9,379
Non-Hispanic Black Only 45.57% 8,872
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.32% 62
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.04% 202
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.82% 549
Hispanic Origin 2.07% 403

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 Gipson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 48.17% 51.06% -5.82%
Black 45.57% 44.68% 1.97%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.32% 0.16% 66.67%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.04% 0.90% 14.43%
Two or More Races 2.82% 1.86% 41.03%
Hispanic 2.07% 1.33% 43.53%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Gipson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 4, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/gipson-surname-popularity/.

"Gipson last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/gipson-surname-popularity/. Accessed 4 December, 2024

Gipson last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/gipson-surname-popularity/.

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