2000
#1,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,289
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.78
Uncommon Last name
Gipson
Derived from the medieval personal name Gib or Gibb, a short form of Gilbert, meaning "bright pledge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,284 Americans carry the last name Gipson. That puts it at #1,809 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gipson 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 Gipson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,381
Census rank
#1,809
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,433 bearers of the surname Gipson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1809th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gipson, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.7%. The next largest groups are Black (44.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gipson
Among Census respondents with the surname Gipson, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.7%. The next largest groups are Black (44.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gipson 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 Gipson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.7% · 8,883
- Black or African American44.1% · 8,562
- Two or more races5.6% · 1,090
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 616
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gipson
Gipson 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
#1,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,470
+1,181 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 6.60
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#1,809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,433
-37 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 6.50
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,803 | 18,289 | 6.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,843 | 19,470 | 6.60 | +1,181 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #1,809 | 19,433 | 6.50 | -37 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 34 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 Gipson 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 | #1,843 | #1,809 | 1.8% |
| Count | 19,470 | 19,433 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.60 | 6.50 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gipson bearers went from 19,470 to 19,433 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,843 to #1,809.
FAQ
Gipson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gipson?
Name Census estimates that about 22,284 living Americans carry the surname Gipson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,381 residents.
How common is Gipson?
Gipson ranks #1,809 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,433 people with the surname Gipson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Gipson.
Has Gipson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gipson went from 19,470 recorded bearers to 19,433. That is a decrease of 37 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,843 to #1,809.
What does the Census say about the background of Gipson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gipson, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.7%. The next largest groups are Black (44.1%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Gipson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.7% (8,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gipson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.7%), Black (44.1%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Gipson (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 Gipson mean?
Derived from the medieval personal name Gib or Gibb, a short form of 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 Gipson (6.50 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 people share the surname Gipson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.