NameCensus.

UK surname

Gilbert

An English surname derived from the Germanic name Giselbert, meaning "bright pledge" or "shining promise."

In the 1881 census there were 16,992 people recorded with the Gilbert surname, ranking it #226 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 23,769, ranked #246, down from #226 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Cornwall, North Kesteven and Harborough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gilbert is 24,809 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.9%.

1881 census count

16,992

Ranked #226

Modern count

23,769

2016, ranked #246

Peak year

1999

24,809 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gilbert had 16,992 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #226 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 23,769 in 2016, ranked #246.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 22,536 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gilbert surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gilbert surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gilbert 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 11,068 #224
1861 historical 11,941 #202
1881 historical 16,992 #226
1891 historical 18,257 #213
1901 historical 21,099 #223
1911 historical 22,536 #191
1997 modern 23,720 #234
1998 modern 24,568 #237
1999 modern 24,809 #235
2000 modern 24,602 #237
2001 modern 23,996 #237
2002 modern 24,434 #238
2003 modern 23,734 #239
2004 modern 23,697 #239
2005 modern 23,181 #240
2006 modern 23,113 #242
2007 modern 23,360 #240
2008 modern 23,491 #239
2009 modern 24,017 #243
2010 modern 24,478 #243
2011 modern 24,177 #242
2012 modern 23,629 #242
2013 modern 24,204 #242
2014 modern 24,276 #242
2015 modern 23,957 #244
2016 modern 23,769 #246

Geography

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Where Gilberts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841), Lambeth and Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Cornwall, North Kesteven and Harborough. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Plymouth St Andrew (incl. Eddystone Lighthouse in 1841) Devon
3 London parishes London 3
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 Leicester St Margaret and Bishop's Fee, Leicester All Saints, Blackfriars Leicestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Cornwall 073 Cornwall
2 Cornwall 067 Cornwall
3 North Kesteven 007 North Kesteven
4 Cornwall 071 Cornwall
5 Harborough 007 Harborough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gilbert

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gilbert

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gilbert, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Gilbert surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Gilbert household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Gilbert 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

Gilbert is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gilbert falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gilbert 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 Gilbert, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gilbert

The surname Gilbert is of French origin, derived from the medieval Germanic personal name Gisilbert, which was composed of the elements "gisil" meaning a hostage or noble youth, and "berht" meaning bright or brilliant. The name first appeared in Normandy and northern France during the early Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the Gilbert surname can be traced back to the late 11th century in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was listed as "Gislebertus" and "Gillebertus" among landholders in various counties across England following the Norman Conquest. These spellings reflect the French Norman influence on the name's evolution.

In the 12th century, the Gilbert surname began to spread across Europe, with notable bearers such as Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Pembroke (1100-1148), a prominent Anglo-Norman nobleman and military leader during the Anarchy period in England. Another early bearer was Gilbert of Sempringham (1083-1189), an English priest and founder of the Gilbertine Order of monasteries.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname's spelling variations included Gilebert,Gilberd, and Gilberte, reflecting the evolving pronunciation and dialect influences across different regions. One notable figure from this era was Sir Humphrey Gilbert (c. 1539-1583), an English explorer and pioneer of British colonization who was granted letters patent by Queen Elizabeth I to establish settlements in North America.

In later centuries, the Gilbert surname continued to be prominent, with individuals like Sir John Gilbert (1723-1798), a British portrait painter and member of the Royal Academy, and Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911), the renowned English dramatist, librettist, and playwright who collaborated with Arthur Sullivan on numerous popular operettas, including The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado.

Other notable bearers of the Gilbert surname include Charles Gilbert (1859-1940), an American actor and playwright, and Sir Alfred Gilbert (1854-1934), an English sculptor and goldsmith best known for his intricate designs and decorative works, such as the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain in London.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gilbert families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gilbert 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. Middlesex leads with 1,910 Gilberts recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.15x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,910 1.15x
Kent 1,350 2.38x
Warwickshire 989 2.36x
Cornwall 914 4.85x
Staffordshire 900 1.60x
Surrey 861 1.06x
Lancashire 779 0.39x
Leicestershire 685 3.71x
Devon 668 1.93x
Lincolnshire 603 2.27x
Yorkshire 589 0.36x
Hampshire 547 1.60x
Nottinghamshire 500 2.23x
Sussex 453 1.61x
Derbyshire 422 1.62x
Wiltshire 384 2.61x
Essex 343 1.04x
Northamptonshire 337 2.15x
Suffolk 277 1.37x
Cheshire 273 0.74x
Bedfordshire 263 3.05x
Lanarkshire 223 0.41x
Worcestershire 200 0.92x
Cambridgeshire 193 1.83x
Glamorgan 179 0.62x
Norfolk 170 0.66x
Midlothian 155 0.70x
Somerset 137 0.51x
Dorset 128 1.17x
Buckinghamshire 126 1.25x
Hertfordshire 124 1.08x
Durham 118 0.24x
Monmouthshire 118 0.98x
Gloucestershire 101 0.31x
Huntingdonshire 99 3.00x
Berkshire 98 0.78x
Aberdeenshire 90 0.58x
Shropshire 76 0.53x
Morayshire 66 2.55x
Angus 61 0.40x
Northumberland 61 0.25x
Channel Islands 57 1.16x
Herefordshire 51 0.75x
Ayrshire 36 0.29x
Oxfordshire 32 0.31x
Cumberland 31 0.22x
Fife 31 0.31x
Kincardineshire 26 1.28x
Perthshire 26 0.35x
Flintshire 23 0.51x
Renfrewshire 23 0.18x
Brecknockshire 16 0.48x
Royal Navy 16 0.81x
Rutland 14 1.15x
Clackmannanshire 10 0.73x
Denbighshire 10 0.16x
Selkirkshire 9 0.60x
Isle of Man 8 0.26x
Stirlingshire 8 0.13x
Banffshire 7 0.20x
Dunbartonshire 7 0.16x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 5 0.09x
Inverness-shire 4 0.08x
Merionethshire 4 0.13x
Montgomeryshire 4 0.10x
West Lothian 4 0.16x
Westmorland 4 0.11x
East Lothian 3 0.14x
Peeblesshire 3 0.38x
Cardiganshire 2 0.05x
Carmarthenshire 2 0.03x
Ross-shire 2 0.04x
Anglesey 1 0.03x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.03x
Nairnshire 1 0.20x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 292 Gilberts recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.09x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 292 2.09x
Aston 212 1.83x
Lambeth 195 1.34x
Leicester St Margaret 183 4.07x
Islington London 152 0.94x
Hackney London 133 1.43x
Nottingham St Mary 133 2.29x
Kensington London 117 1.26x
West Ham 108 1.49x
St Pancras London 96 0.72x
Hammersmith London 93 2.27x
Phillack 91 37.42x
Camberwell 89 0.84x
Shoreditch London 84 1.16x
Paddington London 83 1.36x
Tonbridge 82 4.00x
Bethnal Green London 81 1.12x
Deptford St Paul 75 1.71x
West Bromwich 75 2.33x
Chelsea London 74 1.48x
Illogan 73 14.64x
Mile End Old Town London 73 2.06x
St Marylebone London 73 0.82x
Derby St Peter 72 8.68x
Newington 72 1.17x
Erith 71 12.69x
Battersea 69 1.13x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 69 0.77x
Portsea 69 1.03x
Leicester St Mary 68 4.56x
St George Hanover Square 63 2.15x
Liverpool 62 0.52x
Manchester 62 0.70x
Glasgow 61 0.64x
Holsworthy 61 62.41x
Wootton 61 82.00x
Plymouth Charles The 60 3.93x
Bromley London 58 1.58x
Greenwich 57 2.15x
Clerkenwell London 55 1.40x
Camborne 54 6.96x
Wolverhampton 54 1.25x
Coventry Holy Trinity 53 4.23x
Fulham London 52 2.15x
Great Bowden 50 29.80x
Handsworth 50 3.61x
Fordingbridge 49 26.42x
Mansfield 49 6.31x
Sutton Coldfield 49 11.11x
Brighton 48 0.85x
Stoke Upon Trent 48 0.81x
Kings Norton 46 2.36x
Rugeley 46 11.41x
Tenterden 46 22.98x
Derby St Werburgh 45 2.99x
Coventry St Michael 44 3.26x
Croydon 44 0.98x
Everton 44 0.70x
Ecclesall Bierlow 43 1.28x
Elford 43 176.81x
Mullion 42 121.49x
Stoke Damerel 42 1.73x
Plymouth St Andrew 41 1.54x
Ventnor 41 12.64x
Margate St John Baptist 40 3.85x
St Austell 39 6.06x
Storrington 39 50.68x
Bermondsey 38 0.77x
Ealing 38 2.56x
Knockando 38 36.16x
Billinghay 36 43.89x
Sithney 36 18.91x
Edgbaston 35 2.69x
Harborne 35 1.94x
Poplar London 35 1.11x
Rotherhithe 35 1.70x
Southwark St George Martyr 35 1.05x
St Helier 35 2.18x
West Derby 35 0.61x
Strood 34 10.50x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 1,047
Elizabeth 645
Sarah 603
Jane 323
Ann 298
Eliza 295
Emma 259
Alice 248
Ellen 247
Annie 238
Emily 197
Hannah 147
Martha 112
Florence 110
Louisa 110
Maria 110
Harriet 109
Fanny 106
Caroline 99
Charlotte 94
Kate 88
Clara 87
Edith 85
Catherine 79
Ada 75
Lucy 73
Agnes 66
Anne 66
Susan 66
Harriett 62
Rose 62
Margaret 61
Frances 58
Esther 48
Sophia 48
Amelia 44
Matilda 43
Rebecca 40
Amy 39
Elizth. 38
Gertrude 36
Laura 36
Julia 33
Ethel 32
Grace 31
Minnie 31
Susannah 31
Beatrice 30
Bessie 30
Bertha 29

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 1,151
John 873
George 632
Thomas 511
James 491
Charles 395
Henry 363
Joseph 253
Alfred 189
Edward 176
Richard 176
Arthur 165
Samuel 159
Frederick 151
Robert 128
Walter 106
Albert 100
Harry 96
Frank 83
Herbert 82
Edwin 67
David 56
Ernest 55
Francis 53
Benjamin 50
Wm. 43
Thos. 37
Isaac 32
Fred 29
Stephen 27
Tom 24
Geo. 21
Daniel 20
Percy 20
Josiah 19
Philip 19
Fredrick 18
Sidney 17
Horace 16
Fredk. 15
Willie 15
Mark 14
Sydney 14
Lewis 12
Louis 12
Chas. 11
Ebenezer 11
Harold 11
Jesse 11
Amos 10

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Gilbert households.

FAQ

Gilbert surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gilbert surname in 1881?

In 1881, 16,992 people were recorded with the Gilbert surname. That placed it at #226 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gilbert surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 23,769 in 2016. That gives Gilbert a modern rank of #246.

What does the Gilbert surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Germanic name Giselbert, meaning "bright pledge" or "shining promise."

What does the Gilbert map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gilbert 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.