2000
#11,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,452
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Gittens
An English surname derived from a diminutive of the medieval personal name Gideon, meaning "one who cuts down" or "hewer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,089 Americans carry the last name Gittens. That puts it at #11,223 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gittens 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 Gittens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,960
Census rank
#11,223
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,694 bearers of the surname Gittens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11223rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gittens, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Hispanic (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gittens
Among Census respondents with the surname Gittens, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Hispanic (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gittens 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 Gittens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American66.9% · 1,801
- White15.7% · 422
- Hispanic or Latino9.9% · 268
- Two or more races6.8% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gittens
Gittens 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
#11,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,756
+304 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 282 places
2020
#11,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,694
-62 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,712 | 2,452 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,430 | 2,756 | 0.93 | +304 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 282 places |
| 2020 | #11,223 | 2,694 | 0.90 | -62 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 207 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 Gittens 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 | #11,430 | #11,223 | 1.8% |
| Count | 2,756 | 2,694 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.90 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gittens bearers went from 2,756 to 2,694 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 207 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,430 to #11,223.
FAQ
Gittens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gittens?
Name Census estimates that about 3,089 living Americans carry the surname Gittens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,960 residents.
How common is Gittens?
Gittens ranks #11,223 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,694 people with the surname Gittens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,089), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gittens.
Has Gittens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gittens went from 2,756 recorded bearers to 2,694. That is a decrease of 62 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,430 to #11,223.
What does the Census say about the background of Gittens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gittens, the largest self-reported group is Black at 66.9%. The next largest groups are White (15.7%) and Hispanic (9.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gittens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.9% (1,801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gittens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (66.9%), White (15.7%), Hispanic (9.9%). 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 Gittens (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 Gittens mean?
An English surname derived from a diminutive of the medieval personal name Gideon, meaning "one who cuts down" or "hewer." 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 Gittens (0.90 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 have the surname Gittens?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.