Explore the Family Name Gambles

The meaning of Gambles

English (northern): variant of Gamble, with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Gambles in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Gambles has seen some fluctuation in popularity over the years. In 2000, Gambles ranked as the 58,397th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped to 59,742nd, a decrease of 2.3%. However, the actual count of individuals with this surname did increase during this period from 325 in 2000 to 338 in 2010, marking a growth rate of 4.0%. Despite this growth, the proportion of Gambles per 100k people saw a slight decline of 8.33% over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#58,397	#59,742	-2.3%
Count	325	338	4%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.11	-8.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gambles

When it comes to the ethnic identities associated with the surname Gambles, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that it is primarily linked to the Black community. In 2000, 64.92% of those with the surname identified as Black and this grew to 66.27% by 2010, marking an increase of 2.08%. The White community also held a significant portion with 29.54% identifying as such in 2000, though this figure declined slightly to 27.81% in 2010. Interestingly, the data showed a considerable increase in the percentage of individuals identifying as having two or more races, rising from 2.46% in 2000 to 3.85% in 2010 - a significant increase of 56.50%. There were no recorded instances of the surname among the Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native communities, while the Hispanic representation dropped from 2.77% to zero within the same timeframe.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	64.92%	66.27%	2.08%
White	29.54%	27.81%	-5.86%
Two or More Races	2.46%	3.85%	56.5%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Hispanic	2.77%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%