2000
#1,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,013
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.16
Uncommon Last name
Gabriel
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "God is my strength" or "man of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,376 Americans carry the last name Gabriel. That puts it at #1,302 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gabriel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gabriel with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,284
Census rank
#1,302
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,489 bearers of the surname Gabriel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1302nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabriel, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (18.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gabriel
The surname GABRIEL originated in Spain and Portugal, derived from the Hebrew personal name "Gavri'el" meaning "man of God" or "God is my strength." It gained popularity in these regions during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname GABRIEL can be traced back to the 12th century, appearing in various Spanish and Portuguese manuscripts, including the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The name was also found in the Libro de las Behetrías, a 14th-century census of landowners in the Crown of Castile.
In the 15th century, GABRIEL became a more widespread surname, particularly in the regions of Andalusia and Extremadura in Spain, as well as in parts of Portugal. The surname was often associated with families of Jewish or converso (converted from Judaism) descent, reflecting the influence of Hebrew names in these communities.
Notable historical figures with the surname GABRIEL include Pedro Gabriel, a 16th-century Spanish painter known for his work in the Cathedral of Seville, and Antonio Gabriel, a 17th-century Portuguese composer and organist who served at the Convent of Santa Cruz in Coimbra.
In the 18th century, the surname GABRIEL appeared in various historical records in Spain and Portugal, such as the Catastro de Ensenada, a census of land and property carried out in the Crown of Castile between 1749 and 1756. The name was also present in the baptismal records of several parishes across the Iberian Peninsula.
Other notable individuals with the surname GABRIEL include Juan Gabriel Valdés (1509-1541), a Spanish writer and philosopher who advocated for religious tolerance, and Miguel Gabriel Sarriá (1781-1863), a Spanish architect and engineer known for his work on the Puente Nuevo bridge in Ronda, Spain.
Throughout its history, the surname GABRIEL has maintained its connection to its Hebrew roots, reflecting the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the Iberian Peninsula over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gabriel
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabriel, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (18.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gabriel bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gabriel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.5% · 12,840
- Black or African American20.4% · 5,406
- Hispanic or Latino18.3% · 4,836
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.8% · 2,324
- Two or more races3.6% · 964
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 119
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gabriel
Gabriel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,578
+4,565 bearers (+20.7%)
Per 100,000 9.01
Rank movement Up 155 places
2020
#1,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,489
-89 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 8.86
Rank movement Up 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,482 | 22,013 | 8.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,327 | 26,578 | 9.01 | +4,565 bearers (+20.7%) | Up 155 places |
| 2020 | #1,302 | 26,489 | 8.86 | -89 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 25 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gabriel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,327 | #1,302 | 1.9% |
| Count | 26,578 | 26,489 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 9.01 | 8.86 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gabriel bearers went from 26,578 to 26,489 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,327 to #1,302.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gabriel
FAQ
Gabriel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gabriel?
Name Census estimates that about 30,376 living Americans carry the surname Gabriel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,284 residents.
How common is Gabriel?
Gabriel ranks #1,302 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,489 people with the surname Gabriel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Gabriel.
Has Gabriel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gabriel went from 26,578 recorded bearers to 26,489. That is a decrease of 89 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,327 to #1,302.
What does the Census say about the background of Gabriel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabriel, the largest self-reported group is White at 48.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Hispanic (18.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gabriel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.5% (12,840 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gabriel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (48.5%), Black (20.4%), Hispanic (18.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gabriel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gabriel mean?
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "God is my strength" or "man of God." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gabriel (8.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Gabriel?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.