The Gibbons surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 29,824 people carried this name — #1,183 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 9,890 people counted. That is up 3% from 28,993 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gibbons surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Gilbert’.

An early record he cites: John Giboun, 1307 — Writs of Parliament.

His entry covers Gibbon, Gibbons and Gibbonson.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 315 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 78 births for the Gibbons name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 3,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “47 in Mayo and 7 in Galway.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 57
Ulster 10
Leinster 8
Munster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 100 people named Gibbons live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 52
Santa Fe 36
City of Buenos Aires 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 31 people named Gibbons.

Most of them — 27 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 1 département, most often Guadeloupe.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 27
Guadeloupe 4

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

31 people named Gibbons live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Geneva 10
Vaud 9
Lucerne 5
Basel-Stadt 4
Zurich 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

44 people named Gibbons is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 44

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Gibbons was found among the farmers of 4 counties.

It was most frequent in Bedfordshire: 18 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 556. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Bedfordshire 18
Lincolnshire 15
Oxfordshire 15
Somerset 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Gibbons was recorded 17 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1299th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 32. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

65 families named Gibbons, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 399 people lived in those households, 6.1 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 18
Maryland 16
Virginia 8
Massachusetts 6
North Carolina 5
New Hampshire 4
Connecticut 3
New York 3
South Carolina 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 241 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Gibbons in American newspapers,
1923.

Newspaper page from The Wolf Point Herald carrying the name Gibbons
The Wolf Point Herald 1923-07-12
Newspaper page from The Producers News carrying the name Gibbons
The Producers News 1923-07-06
Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Gibbons
Daily Kennebec Journal 1923-07-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Gibbons in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

52,194 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gibbons. The most, 10,638, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 19,641
Victoria 11,642
Western Australia 6,966
South Australia 5,595
Queensland 4,179
Tasmania 3,734
ACT (Canberra) 290
Northern Territory 27

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gibbons.

Who carried it

People named Gibbons,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joseph Gibbons
    Joseph Gibbons d. 1946 · politician
  • John C. Gibbons d. 2021 · civil servant
  • John Gibbons d. 1651 · religious
  • Elizabeth Home, Countess of Home d. 1784
  • Dorothy Maynard Gibbons d. 1947
  • Sara Antoinetta Cholmeley d. 1930

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gibbons,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States6,208 records

6,208 records of the Gibbons name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,691
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,647
  • Other U.S. records 2,870
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record George E. Gibbons

    Born 1919 in Rhode Island. Enlisted 1942 at Providence; driver. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1982, buried at Rhode Island Veteran Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, Rhode Island.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Carl William Gibbons

    Born 1930; from Wayne County, Michigan. U.S. Army; killed in action 1950 in North Korea. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sadie Gibbons

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Helvetia from Liverpool, aged 21; servant. From Mayo, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 6,208 records for Gibbons in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,791 records

1,791 records of the Gibbons name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 850
  • Tasmanian Names Index 421
  • Other Australian records 520
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Gibbons

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Elphinstone, sailing from Sheerness in 1842. Native of Birmingham, Warwickshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851. Married 1851 in Spring Bay, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Emma Gibbons

    Died 1930 in Police Point, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1931.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Gibbons

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the W B Dean, aged 26; British subject.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,791 records for Gibbons in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada314 records

314 records of the Gibbons name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 188
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 37
  • Other Canadian records 89
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record John Gibbons

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nancy, bound for Port Roseway, aged 43.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Gibbons

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary Agnes Gibbons

    Buried in 1999 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 82.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 314 records for Gibbons in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom102 records

102 records of the Gibbons name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 62
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 31
  • Other British records 9
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Gibbons

    Buried in 1934 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 72.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Gibbons

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 25.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Bridget Gibbons

    Will proved in 1932; of Rhyl, Flint.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 102 records for Gibbons in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand71 records

71 records of the Gibbons name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 33
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 26
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 12
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Gibbons

    Died 1912, aged 33; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Percival James Gibbons

    Died 1991, aged 64; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Gibbons

    Buried in 1885 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 54.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 71 records for Gibbons in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland55 records

55 records of the Gibbons name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Gibbons

    Died 1933, aged 20; buried at Killererin (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Johney Gibbons

    Died 1949, aged 86; buried at Toreena, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Gibbons

    Died 1912, aged 56; buried at Drumacoo, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 55 records for Gibbons in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands12 records

12 records of the Gibbons name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  • Dutch population registers 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record William Gibbons

    Married in 1946 in Nijmegen; "metaalarbeider".

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Emma Maria Gibbons

    Married in 1882 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 12 records for Gibbons in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France8 records

8 records of the Gibbons name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Donald Charles Frederick Gibbons

    Born 1930 in Great Britain; died 1996 in Mâcon (Saône-et-Loire).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jean-Cecilia Gibbons

    Born 1916 in the United States; died 2001 in Le Coudray (Eure-et-Loir).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Gibbons in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gibbons.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gibbons is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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