Explore the Family Name Gaston
The meaning of Gaston
1. French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Gasto, derived from gast ‘guest, foreigner’, earlier ‘foreign warrior’. This surname is also found in England and Ireland, where it is probably a Huguenot importation. Compare Guest. 2. English (Sussex): variant of Gasson 1. 3. English: in Gloucestershire, a variant of Garston, a topographic name or metonymic occupational name denoting someone who lived by or worked in a paddock. 4. Scottish: habitational name from Galston (Ayrshire). The /l/ has been vocalized to /u/ and the resulting diphthong /au/ simplified to /a:/. History: This surname (see 1 above) is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors and also in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of America.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gaston in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Gaston has seen minor changes between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Gaston was ranked 1797 in terms of commonality and by 2010, it had dropped slightly to rank 1837, indicating a decrease in popularity by 2.23%. However, the count of individuals carrying the Gaston surname increased from 18,348 to 19,502, marking a growth of 6.29%. Although the proportion per 100k people shifted downward from 6.8 to 6.61, this change of -2.79% is not significant.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,797 | #1,837 | -2.23% |
| Count | 18,348 | 19,502 | 6.29% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.8 | 6.61 | -2.79% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gaston
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Gaston also experienced shifts during this decade as highlighted in the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders with this surname rose significantly by 43.14%, from 0.51% in 2000 to 0.73% in 2010. Those identifying as two or more races also saw an increase of 29.38%, moving up to 2.73% from 2.11%. White individuals bearing the surname Gaston experienced a decrease of 8.59%, dropping to 49.26% from 53.89%. Similarly, there was an increase in Hispanic representation among individuals with the surname Gaston, rising to 5.70% from 4.13%, which represents a 38.01% increase. The percentage of Black individuals with this surname also grew modestly by 5.49%, increasing from 39.01% to 41.15%. Lastly, American Indian and Alaskan Natives also saw a rise in their representation, from 0.35% to 0.43%, marking a 22.86% increase.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 53.89% | 49.26% | -8.59% |
| Black | 39.01% | 41.15% | 5.49% |
| Hispanic | 4.13% | 5.7% | 38.01% |
| Two or More Races | 2.11% | 2.73% | 29.38% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.51% | 0.73% | 43.14% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.35% | 0.43% | 22.86% |
Gaston ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Gaston is British & Irish, which comprises 46.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.2%) and Nigerian (6.0%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, and Italian.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 46.6% |
| French & German | 21.2% |
| Nigerian | 6.0% |
| Other | 26.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Gaston
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Gaston have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 74.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 74.30% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 74.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 74.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 74.10% |
What Gaston haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Gaston is R-Z255, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z255 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mobley, Gatlin, Doyle, Redmond, Pilcher, Roby, Kinsella, Myrick, Deaton, Quigley.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Gaston surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Gaston have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Gaston" Surname 41.4%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Gaston" Surname 29.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Gaston" Surname 25.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Gaston" Surname 17.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Gaston?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Gaston are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition