GIBBS
Gibbs is a surname of English origin that emerged in the medieval period as a patronymic derivative of the personal name Gib, itself a diminutive of the Norman name Gilbert. The name Gilbert was introduced into England immediately after the Norman Conquest of 1066 and was particularly popular during the Middle Ages.
The Norman personal name Gilbert is derived from the Old Germanic elements Gisil, meaning “hostage” or “noble youth,” and berht, meaning “bright” or “famous.” From this personal name came a pet form Gib, which was used affectionately and often as a given name in its own right. The suffix s was then added to form a patronymic surname that literally meant “son of Gib,” giving rise to the modern spelling Gibbs.
Although the patronymic origin is the predominant explanation, the surname may also have come from the Middle English word gibbe, which meant a male cat or a male ferret. In this sense the name would have begun as a nickname for a person who displayed cat-like or ferret-like characteristics, and later hardened into a hereditary surname.
Documentation of the name dates back to the early fourteenth century. The first record that can be confidently cited is that of Henry Gibsone, who appears in the Records of the Borough of Nottinghamshire in 1311, during the reign of King Edward the First. Subsequent parish registers provide further evidence of the name’s usage: the marriage of Agnes Gibbs to William Chanler on 13 February 1562 at Harrow on the Hill, and the marriage of Ann Gibbs to Thomas Fleetwood on 2 April 1604 at Cranford.
In the northern counties of England and in Scotland a variant of the surname, Gibson, is encountered more frequently. This variant shares the same patronymic origin and the same medieval foundation as Gibbs, and together they illustrate the normal variations that arose in English naming practices of the period.
Through the centuries the surname Gibbs has remained firmly rooted in British society. It continues to appear in contemporary records and in the modern population of the United Kingdom, maintaining its historical linkage to the medieval name Gilbert and to the early English, and subsequently British, usage of patronymic surnames.
Typical given names associated with the Gibbs surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Carol
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Gibbs in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Gibbs are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Digestive.
There are approximately 26,792 people named Gibbs in the UK. That makes it the 300th most common surname in Britain. Around 411 in a million people in Britain are named Gibbs.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Gibbs
- Kieran Gibbs - Football player
- Morgan Gibbs-White - Football player
- Scott Gibbs - Welsh rugby union and rugby league football player
- Nigel Gibbs - Football player and coach
- Holly Gibbs - Actress
- Michael Gibbs - Rhodesian born English jazz composer
- Philip Gibbs - Journalist and novelist (1877 to 1962)
- James Gibbs - Scottish architect (1682 to 1754)
- Armstrong Gibbs - Composer (1889 to 1960)
- Roland Gibbs - Army officer (1921 to 2004)
- Humphrey Gibbs - Colonial governor (1902 to 1990)
- Lady Helena Gibbs - Noble (1899 to 1969)
- Antony Gibbs - Film and television editor (1925 to 2016)
- Paul Gibbs - Football player
- Gerald Gibbs - Cinematographer (1907 to 1990)
- Brian Gibbs - Football player (1936 to 2014)
- Olive Gibbs - Politician (1918 to 1995)
- May Gibbs - Australian author and illustrator (1877 to 1969)
- Rebekah Gibbs - Actress (1973 to 2014)
- George Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall - Politician (1873 to 1931)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.