# Gilbert (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/gilbert/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 114,940 |
| US rank (2010) | 268 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,686 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.3% (112,406 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡɪlbɚt/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Old French Gislebert, from Proto-Germanic *Gīslaberhtaz, from *gīslaz (“pledge”) + *berhtaz (“bright, famous”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Gilbert in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 78% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 16% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Gilbert in the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Gilbert

- Walter Gilbert, American biochemist
- Elizabeth Gilbert, American writer
- Philippe Gilbert, Belgian cyclist
- Sara Gilbert, American actress
- Melissa Gilbert, American actress
- John Gilbert, American actor and film director (1899–1936)
- Paul Gilbert, American guitarist
- Brad Gilbert, American tennis player and coach
- Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist (1843–1918)
- Ron Gilbert, American video game designer
- Cass Gilbert, American architect (1859-1934)
- Alfred Carlton Gilbert, American athlete, inventor, and businessman (1884-1961)

and 29 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Gilbride, Gilbertson, Gilbreath, Glover, Galbraith, Galbreath, Guilford, Gilford, Gulliver, Gulliford.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.