NameCensus.

UK surname

Gibb

A Scottish and English occupational surname derived from a shortened form of the name Gilbert.

In the 1881 census there were 5,291 people recorded with the Gibb surname, ranking it #841 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,100, ranked #1,109, down from #841 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Larkhall Central, Raploch, Millheugh and Burnhead, Saltcoats North East and Hilltown.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gibb is 6,280 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 15.3%.

1881 census count

5,291

Ranked #841

Modern count

6,100

2016, ranked #1,109

Peak year

1901

6,280 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gibb had 5,291 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #841 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,100 in 2016, ranked #1,109.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 6,280 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Gibb surname distribution map

The map shows where the Gibb surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Gibb surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gibb over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 3,772 #755
1861 historical 4,174 #672
1881 historical 5,291 #841
1891 historical 5,841 #808
1901 historical 6,280 #882
1911 historical 1,706 #2,875
1997 modern 5,911 #1,111
1998 modern 6,066 #1,123
1999 modern 6,182 #1,111
2000 modern 6,142 #1,109
2001 modern 5,948 #1,117
2002 modern 6,031 #1,130
2003 modern 5,918 #1,120
2004 modern 5,917 #1,119
2005 modern 5,892 #1,105
2006 modern 5,967 #1,096
2007 modern 5,988 #1,101
2008 modern 6,027 #1,103
2009 modern 6,155 #1,108
2010 modern 6,193 #1,123
2011 modern 6,011 #1,131
2012 modern 5,920 #1,128
2013 modern 6,000 #1,130
2014 modern 6,097 #1,122
2015 modern 6,071 #1,118
2016 modern 6,100 #1,109

Geography

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Where Gibbs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry, Glasgow and Paisley Abbey. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Larkhall Central, Raploch, Millheugh and Burnhead, Saltcoats North East, Hilltown, Charleston and Angus Glens. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Paisley Abbey Renfrew

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Larkhall Central, Raploch, Millheugh and Burnhead South Lanarkshire
2 Saltcoats North East North Ayrshire
3 Hilltown Dundee City
4 Charleston Dundee City
5 Angus Glens Angus

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gibb

These lists show first names that appear often with the Gibb surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gibb

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gibb, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Gibb surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Gibb household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Gibb is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gibb is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gibb falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gibb is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Gibb, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gibb

The surname GIBB is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gib" or "Gibb," which is a pet form of the name "Gilbert." The name is thought to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, Scotland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GIBB can be found in the Scottish Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Gib." This medieval document contains the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore fealty to Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

The name GIBB is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the 14th century, indicating that individuals with this surname held positions of some importance during that time period.

In the 16th century, the surname GIBB appeared in various spellings, including "Gib," "Gibb," and "Gibbs," in records from the counties of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Renfrewshire.

One notable individual with the surname GIBB was Sir Alexander Gibb (1796-1867), a Scottish civil engineer who designed and constructed the Southampton Docks and oversaw the construction of numerous railways and waterways throughout the United Kingdom.

Another prominent figure was Sir George Stegmann Gibb (1850-1925), a Scottish physician and medical pioneer who made significant contributions to the study of diseases such as typhoid fever and malaria.

In the literary world, the Scottish author and poet Wilfred Wilson Gibson (1878-1962), whose mother's maiden name was GIBB, gained recognition for his works that explored the lives of ordinary people and the struggles of the working class.

The name GIBB can also be found in historical records from other parts of the world, such as the United States, where individuals bearing this surname arrived as early as the 17th century. One notable American with this surname was John Gibb (1776-1850), a Presbyterian minister and educator who served as the first president of the Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.

Additionally, the surname GIBB has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Gibb Hill in Lanarkshire and Gibb's Cross in Ayrshire, further reinforcing its Scottish roots and geographical connections.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gibb families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gibb surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 965 Gibbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.78x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 965 5.78x
Aberdeenshire 641 13.42x
Angus 450 9.42x
Midlothian 397 5.75x
Fife 286 9.37x
Renfrewshire 274 6.85x
Ayrshire 251 6.50x
Lancashire 158 0.26x
Northumberland 156 2.03x
Durham 140 0.91x
Middlesex 119 0.23x
Surrey 117 0.47x
Sussex 112 1.29x
Perthshire 97 4.19x
Yorkshire 93 0.18x
Banffshire 92 8.60x
West Lothian 87 11.20x
Stirlingshire 82 4.31x
Kent 80 0.45x
Kincardineshire 75 11.94x
Wigtownshire 62 9.05x
Berwickshire 53 8.48x
Dunbartonshire 36 2.60x
Kirkcudbrightshire 34 4.55x
Buteshire 25 8.00x
Hampshire 25 0.24x
Selkirkshire 24 5.14x
Staffordshire 24 0.14x
East Lothian 21 3.07x
Cheshire 20 0.18x
Roxburghshire 20 2.14x
Monmouthshire 19 0.51x
Argyllshire 18 1.25x
Morayshire 16 2.00x
Clackmannanshire 15 3.52x
Derbyshire 14 0.17x
Hertfordshire 14 0.39x
Kinross-shire 14 10.74x
Glamorgan 13 0.14x
Warwickshire 13 0.10x
Inverness-shire 12 0.78x
Gloucestershire 11 0.11x
Ross-shire 11 0.78x
Somerset 11 0.13x
Suffolk 10 0.16x
Cumberland 8 0.18x
Dumfriesshire 8 0.70x
Buckinghamshire 6 0.19x
Devon 6 0.06x
Isle of Man 6 0.63x
Worcestershire 6 0.09x
Leicestershire 5 0.09x
Wiltshire 5 0.11x
Channel Islands 4 0.26x
Essex 4 0.04x
Oxfordshire 4 0.13x
Cambridgeshire 3 0.09x
Lincolnshire 3 0.04x
Royal Navy 3 0.49x
Norfolk 2 0.03x
Nottinghamshire 2 0.03x
Shetland 2 0.38x
Bedfordshire 1 0.04x
Northamptonshire 1 0.02x
Peeblesshire 1 0.41x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 213 Gibbs recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.16x.

Place Total Index
Govan 213 5.16x
Barony 189 4.48x
Dundee 165 9.25x
Glasgow 165 5.57x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 144 5.18x
Aberdeen Old Machar 138 13.84x
Cambusnethan 112 30.23x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 107 11.97x
Shotts 61 30.56x
Boness 50 46.69x
Peterhead 49 19.40x
Paisley High Church 45 14.14x
Beath 42 43.52x
New Monkland 40 8.11x
Kilmarnock 37 8.05x
West Greenock 37 5.16x
Abbey 33 5.41x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 33 4.96x
Markinch 33 31.83x
Auckinleck 32 26.78x
Old Monkland 32 4.83x
Sorn 32 42.19x
South Leith 32 4.12x
Keith 31 27.18x
St Vigeans 31 12.02x
Alnwick 30 22.74x
Insch 28 103.05x
Brechin 27 14.38x
Barry 26 45.34x
Cathcart 26 12.02x
Dunfermline 25 5.32x
Forfar 25 9.66x
Hunwick Helmington 24 65.13x
Liff Benvie 24 3.31x
Lochlee 24 376.77x
Bishopwearmouth 23 1.75x
Kilmalcolm 23 48.02x
Liverpool 23 0.62x
Monifieth 23 13.63x
Slamannan 23 22.08x
Dysart 22 10.70x
Falkirk 22 4.94x
Lingfield 22 44.92x
Kirkintilloch 21 11.15x
Meldrum 21 52.19x
Cowpen 20 11.32x
Kirkcaldy 20 13.21x
Rathven 20 9.95x
Tonbridge 20 3.15x
Tulliallan 20 50.98x
Cumbrae 19 57.79x
Islington London 19 0.38x
Keig 19 138.69x
Lambeth 19 0.42x
Methlick 19 49.67x
Old Cumnock 19 22.10x
Blairgowrie 18 19.66x
Chiddingly 18 114.94x
Edinburgh St Marys 18 13.40x
Lochwinnoch 18 30.21x
Melrose 18 15.32x
Barton Upon Irwell 17 3.69x
Carluke 17 11.22x
Cluny 17 74.01x
Croydon 17 1.22x
East Grinstead 17 13.81x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 17 10.40x
Stoneykirk 17 34.71x
West Derby 17 0.95x
Bothwell 16 3.54x
Carriden 16 45.44x
Dalziel 16 8.92x
Hamilton 16 3.44x
Kensington London 16 0.56x
Kinghorn 16 24.68x
Kirknewton East 16 55.38x
Mauchline 16 36.06x
Paisley Low Church 16 12.64x
Wadhurst 16 28.02x
Temple 15 54.61x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Gibb surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 83
Elizabeth 48
Sarah 33
Jane 28
Margaret 28
Annie 20
Ann 18
Eliza 17
Ellen 15
Isabella 15
Emily 14
Hannah 13
Alice 12
Agnes 11
Emma 11
Jessie 11
Janet 10
Catherine 9
Florence 9
Caroline 8
Edith 8
Louisa 8
Amelia 7
Susan 7
Clara 6
Eleanor 6
Ada 4
Amy 4
Elizth. 4
Frances 4
Harriet 4
Helen 4
Jemima 4
Maria 4
Martha 4
Anna 3
Bertha 3
Bessie 3
Grace 3
Jenit 3
Kate 3
Marion 3
Minnie 3
Ruth 3
Barbara 2
Charlotte 2
Elsie 2
Letitia 2
Lizzie 2
Lucy 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Gibb surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 74
William 73
Thomas 46
James 41
George 40
Henry 28
Robert 28
Alexander 18
Charles 17
Alfred 14
David 12
Joseph 11
Edward 9
Albert 8
Harry 8
Frederick 7
Hugh 7
Walter 7
Arthur 6
Percy 5
Peter 5
Samuel 5
Francis 4
Herbert 4
Adam 3
Allan 3
Andrew 3
Donald 3
Frank 3
Thos. 3
Wm. 3
Alex 2
Amos 2
Benjamin 2
Cuthbert 2
Ebenezer 2
Edwin 2
Ernest 2
Howard 2
Jno. 2
Obed 2
R.G. 2
Tom 2
Archie 1
Austin 1
Denson 1
Easton 1
J. 1
Jabez 1
Wm.S. 1

FAQ

Gibb surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gibb surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,291 people were recorded with the Gibb surname. That placed it at #841 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gibb surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,100 in 2016. That gives Gibb a modern rank of #1,109.

What does the Gibb surname mean?

A Scottish and English occupational surname derived from a shortened form of the name Gilbert.

What does the Gibb map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gibb bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.