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

Gittens, 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 Gittens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gittens in America

Gittens is the 11430th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gittens surname appeared 2,756 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 Gittens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gittens 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 Gittens

The surname Gittens originates from England, likely emerging in the medieval period around the 12th or 13th century. It is believed to be a locational surname, derived from a place name that has since become obsolete or obscure. One theory suggests it may be linked to the Old English word "gyt," meaning a channel or stream, indicating the name's bearers may have lived near a waterway.

Early records of the name Gittens are scarce, but it is possible that it appeared in medieval documents such as tax rolls, parish registers, or manorial records. However, no definitive mentions have been found in historical sources like the Domesday Book, which catalogued landowners in England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Gittens was John Gittens, who was born around 1550 in Gloucestershire, England. He worked as a farmer and is recorded in local parish records. Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Gittens, born circa 1585 in Shropshire, England, who was a miller by trade.

In the 17th century, the Gittens surname appeared in various parts of England, including the counties of Somerset, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire. One notable individual was Richard Gittens (1625-1687), a merchant from Bristol who was involved in the transatlantic trade of goods.

As the British Empire expanded, the Gittens name spread to other parts of the world. In the 18th century, James Gittens (1720-1795) was a British soldier who served in the East India Company and fought in various campaigns in India and Asia.

In more recent history, Sir John Gittens (1877-1954) was a prominent British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and held various positions in the government.

Throughout its history, the Gittens surname has been subject to various spellings, including Gittins, Gittings, and Gittance, reflecting regional variations and evolving linguistic patterns. However, the core name has endured, and its bearers have contributed to various aspects of society over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gittens

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

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

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

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