2000
#6,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Gilstrap
An English occupational surname for a maker of belts or girdles, derived from the Old English "gyrdel" and "strop."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,360 Americans carry the last name Gilstrap. That puts it at #6,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,947 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilstrap 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.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,947
Census rank
#6,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,674 bearers of the surname Gilstrap in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilstrap, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gilstrap
The surname Gilstrap is of English origin, originating in the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Gildestrepe" or "Gildestrop" in Yorkshire, which means "golden path" or "golden strip of land." The name likely referred to a bright, fertile path or stretch of land.
Gilstrap was first recorded in Yorkshire, where the family held lands and estates. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William de Gildestrepe, who was mentioned in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1219. This provides evidence of the name's use in the early 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Gilstrap family had established themselves in various parts of Yorkshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1379 list John de Gildestrop and Richard de Gildestrop as taxpayers in Yorkshire. This suggests that the family had spread and become prosperous by this time.
The Gilstrap name can be found in several historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which list a Robert de Gildestrop in Oxfordshire. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 also mention a John de Gildestrop in Lincolnshire. These records demonstrate the family's presence in various counties throughout medieval England.
Notable individuals with the surname Gilstrap include:
1. Sir John Gilstrap (c. 1560-1630), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Warwickshire in the early 17th century.
2. William Gilstrap (c. 1590-1675), an English clergyman and author who wrote a theological treatise titled "The Doctrine of Faith" in 1652.
3. Thomas Gilstrap (1617-1683), an English colonist and landowner in Virginia, USA, who played a role in the establishment of Williamsburg.
4. Mary Gilstrap (1727-1804), a prominent landowner and philanthropist in South Carolina, USA, who donated land for the establishment of churches and schools.
5. James Gilstrap (1785-1860), an English inventor and engineer who patented several improvements to steam engines and milling machinery.
Throughout its history, the Gilstrap surname has had various spellings, including Gildestrop, Gildestropp, and Gildestroppe, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilstrap
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilstrap, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilstrap 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 Gilstrap surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 3,739
- Black or African American10.4% · 484
- Two or more races4.7% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 149
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilstrap
Gilstrap 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
#6,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,954
+21 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Down 453 places
2020
#6,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,674
-280 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,355 | 4,933 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,808 | 4,954 | 1.68 | +21 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 453 places |
| 2020 | #6,926 | 4,674 | 1.56 | -280 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 118 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 Gilstrap 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 | #6,808 | #6,926 | -1.7% |
| Count | 4,954 | 4,674 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.56 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilstrap bearers went from 4,954 to 4,674 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,808 to #6,926.
FAQ
Gilstrap surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilstrap?
Name Census estimates that about 5,360 living Americans carry the surname Gilstrap. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,947 residents.
How common is Gilstrap?
Gilstrap ranks #6,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,674 people with the surname Gilstrap. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,360), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gilstrap.
Has Gilstrap become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilstrap went from 4,954 recorded bearers to 4,674. That is a decrease of 280 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,808 to #6,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilstrap?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilstrap, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.4%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Gilstrap in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (3,739 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilstrap appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Black (10.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Gilstrap (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 Gilstrap mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker of belts or girdles, derived from the Old English "gyrdel" and "strop." 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 Gilstrap (1.56 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 people share the surname Gilstrap?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.