Contents [hide]

Gibson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Gibson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland

Early Origins of the Gibson family

The surname Gibson was first found in Prussia, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Gibson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gibson research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1777 is included under the topic Early Gibson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gibson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gibsone, Gibson, Gabson, Gebsen, Gobensen and many more.

Early Notables of the Gibson family

the Gibsone family of Prussia

Gibson World Ranking

the United States, the name Gibson is the 116^th most popular surname with an estimated 186,525 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Gibson is ranked the 171^st most popular surname with an estimated 20,710 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Gibson is the 114^th popular surname with an estimated 23,680 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Gibson as 75^th with 4,661 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Gibson as 83^rd with 53,649 people. 5

Gibson migration to the United States +

Gibson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Frances Gibson, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1624 7
Christopher Gibson, from Buckinghamshire, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Dorchester 7
Mrs. Mary Gibson of Buckinghamshire who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Dorchester. 8
Miss Elizabeth Gibson of Cambrdige sailed who from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 8
Mr. Nics Gibson, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1835 aboard the ship "Assurance" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Gibson, who landed in Virginia in 1701 7
Amy Gibson, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 7
Eliza Gibson, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
Cha Gibson, who arrived in Virginia in 1718 7
Abel Gibson, who arrived in Virginia in 1746
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Gibson, who arrived in America in 1804 7
Fanny Gibson, aged 18, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 7
John Gibson, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1805 7
Margaret Gibson, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 7
Alexander Gibson, who landed in Norfolk, Va in 1817 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibson migration to Canada +

Gibson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jane Gibson, who landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1773
George Gibson, aged 36, who landed in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1774
Mr. William Gibson U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 9
Mr. Gilbert Gibson U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 9
Mrs. Hannah Gibson U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Gibson, aged 40, a farmer, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
Helen Gibson, aged 33, who arrived in Canada in 1815
Ann Gibson, aged 12, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
Jean Gibson, aged 7, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
James Gibson, aged 6, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Atlas" in 1815
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibson Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

G H Gibson, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907
Miss J Gibson, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Gibson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet

Miss Ann Gibson, (b. 1767), aged 21, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Lady Juliana" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 6

Following the First Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Gibson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. David Gibson, (b. 1778), aged 25, British farmer who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Calcutta" in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1858 10
Miss Mary Gibson, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Miss Elizabeth Gibson, English convict who was convicted in Derbyshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Broxbournebury" in January 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Edward Gibson, English convict who was convicted in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England for 14 years for possessing forged bank notes, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. George Gibson, British Convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gibson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Lewis Gibson, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Catherine Stewart Forbes" in 1841
Maria Gibson, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Mandarin" in 1841
Sandy Robert Gibson, aged 29, a farm labourer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Susannah Gibson, aged 29, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
Elizabeth Gibson, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifford" in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Gibson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. William Gibson, (b. 1616), aged 18, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 7
Mr. Walter Gibson, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 15
Mr. Richard Gibson, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 16

Contemporary Notables of the name Gibson (post 1700) +

Orville Gibson (1856-1918), American mandolin and guitar maker, founder and eponym of the Gibson Guitar Company in 1894
Andrea Faye Gibson (1975-2025), American poet and activist, poetry focused on gender norms, politics, social justice, LGBTQ topics, life, and mortality, appointed as the Poet Laureate of Colorado (2023)
Oliver Donnovan Gibson (1972-2025), American professional football player, defensive tackle in the National Football League, played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Sarah Gibson (1986-2024), American pianist and composer who founded a piano duo, Hocket, with pianist and composer Thomas Kotcheff
Althea Neale Gibson (1927-2003), American tennis player and professional golfer. In 1956, she became the first African-American to win a Grand Slam title, the following year she won both Wimbledon and the US Nationals and won both again in 1958 and was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in both years. In all, she won 11 Grand Slam tournaments and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame
Benjamin F. Gibson (1931-2021), American jurist, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (1996-1999)
Todd Gibson (1936-2020), American racing driver from Morral, Ohio and Richwood, Ohio
Jon Gibson (1940-2020), American flautist, saxophonist, composer, and visual artist, known as one of the founding members of the Philip Glass Ensemble
Robert "Bob" Gibson (1935-2020), American professional baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975), awarded two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award
... (Another 210 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gibson family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. John Victor Gibson, British Assistant Steward from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 17
Mr. John James Gibson (1847-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 18
Mr. Thomas Gibson (b. 1916), Scottish Marine serving for the Royal Marine from Uphall, Linlithgow, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 19
Mr. John H Gibson (b. 1922), English Signalman serving for the Royal Navy from Southampton, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20
Mr. James Gibson (b. 1917), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Stepney, London, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20
... (Another 14 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm