Gamble
A masculine name perhaps derived from the English noun for a risky undertaking.
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the first name Gamble. It is a predominantly male name (95.8% of registrations). The average person named Gamble today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gamble births was 2010 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gamble. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
116
~ 1 in 2,954,779 Americans
Peak year
2010
14 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,894
Tracked since 1961
Census
Gamble in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 196 people with the first name Gamble, which placed it at #38,869 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,869
National first-name rank
People counted
196
196 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gamble
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gamble is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gamble described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gamble at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 160
- Black or African American11.7% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 7
- Two or more races2.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Gamble
Gamble leans heavily male at 95.8% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Gamble as a male name
- Ranked #12,879 in 2024
- 5 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (14 births)
Gamble as a female name
- Ranked #6,894 in 1961
- 5 female births in 1961
- Peak: 1961 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Gamble on both sides of the split. Of the 199 people counted with this name, 146 were male (73.4%) and 53 were female (26.6%).
Popularity
Gamble: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gamble from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 77 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gamble by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gamble during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gamble
The name Gamble is an English surname that originated as an occupational name for someone who played games or gambled. It is derived from the Old French word "gambler," which means "to gamble" or "to play games." The name first appeared in England in the 13th century and was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was known for their love of games or gambling.
In the 14th century, the name Gamble was recorded in various historical documents, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. These records suggest that the name was already in use as a surname during this time period.
While the name Gamble has its roots in the occupation of gambling or playing games, it has also been used as a given name throughout history. One of the earliest recorded instances of Gamble as a first name dates back to the 16th century. In 1585, a man named Gamble Jewell was born in England, although not much is known about his life.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the first name Gamble was Gamble Scudamore (1597-1671), an English politician and member of Parliament. He served as a Member of Parliament for Herefordshire and was known for his involvement in the English Civil War.
Another historical figure with the name Gamble was Gamble Jennings (1784-1859), an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. He served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and was involved in the formation of the state's legal system.
In the 19th century, a prominent individual named Gamble Granger (1825-1907) was born in New York. He was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and later became a successful businessman and philanthropist.
Another notable figure from the 19th century was Gamble Hosmer (1836-1903), an American Civil War veteran and politician from Kansas. He served as the lieutenant governor of Kansas and was actively involved in the state's political scene.
While the name Gamble may have originated as an occupational surname, it has taken on a unique identity as a given name throughout history. These examples showcase the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have carried the name Gamble over the centuries.
People
Gamble + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gamble as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gamble: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gamble?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 116 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gamble going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,954,779 US residents.
Is Gamble a common name?
We classify Gamble as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 118 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gamble most popular?
The single biggest year for Gamble was 2010, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gamble is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gamble in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 196 people with the name Gamble, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,869 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gamble in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gamble?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Gamble on both sides of the split. Of the 199 people counted with this name, 146 were male (73.4%) and 53 were female (26.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gamble?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gamble is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gamble most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gamble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (160 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gamble in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gamble a male name?
Yes, 95.8% of people registered as Gamble in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gamble still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gamble in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gamble can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Gamble?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.