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

Gish, 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 Gish surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gish in America

Gish is the 8711th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gish surname appeared 3,768 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gish.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gish 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 Gish

The surname GISH has its origins in Scotland, where it is believed to have first appeared in the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Scottish Gaelic word "giuthais," which means pine tree or fir tree. It is possible that the name was originally a descriptive one, referring to someone who lived near a pine forest or who worked with pine wood.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GISH can be found in the Scottish parish records from the late 16th century. In these records, the name is spelled various ways, including "Gisch," "Gyshe," and "Gysche." This variation in spelling was common in those times, as there were no standardized rules for spelling.

In the 17th century, the GISH name began to appear in other parts of Scotland, particularly in the Highlands. This may have been due to migration or the spread of the name through marriage. One notable bearer of the GISH surname during this time was John Gisch, a Scottish poet and writer who was born in Inverness in 1630.

As the centuries passed, the GISH name continued to be found throughout Scotland, with some families eventually settling in other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond. In the 19th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Sir Alexander Gish (1821-1892), a Scottish industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Glasgow.

Another notable GISH was Lillian Gish (1893-1993), an American actress who was a leading star of the silent film era. She was born Lillian de Guiche, but her family had anglicized their surname to GISH. Lillian's sister, Dorothy Gish (1898-1968), was also a successful actress during the early 20th century.

Other notable individuals with the GISH surname include Robert Gish (1919-2002), an American actor and director, and Duane Gish (1921-2013), an American biochemist and prominent advocate of creationism. These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried the GISH name throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gish

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!