Explore the Family Name Gaw
The meaning of Gaw
1. Irish (Down and Antrim) and Scottish: shortened form of McGaw, which is an Anglicized form of Gaelic Mag Ádhaimh ‘son of Adam’. 2. Scottish: variant of Gall. 3. German: variant (old) spelling of Gau. 4. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 敖 (see Ao) and 吴 (see Wu 1). Also variant of Gau.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gaw in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Gaw saw a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 15,369, but by 2010 it had shifted to 16,575, a change of -7.85%. The count of individuals with this surname also dropped slightly from 1,753 to 1,731, marking a 1.25% decrease. Furthermore, the proportion of people with this surname per 100k population decreased by 9.23%, moving from 0.65 to 0.59.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,369 | #16,575 | -7.85% |
| Count | 1,753 | 1,731 | -1.25% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.65 | 0.59 | -9.23% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gaw
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Gaw diversified over that decade, as evidenced by the census data. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 17.91% to 22.82%. Those reporting multiple ethnic identities also climbed substantially, from 1.20% to 2.54%. Meanwhile, the percentage of White individuals with the Gaw surname decreased from 76.21% to 71.06%. The number of Hispanic individuals grew modestly from 1.54% to 2.20%. However, those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native were not reported in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 76.21% | 71.06% | -6.76% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 17.91% | 22.82% | 27.41% |
| Two or More Races | 1.2% | 2.54% | 111.67% |
| Hispanic | 1.54% | 2.2% | 42.86% |
| Black | 2.8% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.34% | 0% | 0% |