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Show ContentsGibson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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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

Notable figures of the time with the name Gibson were

  • the Gibsone family of Prussia

Gibson World Ranking

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

United States Gibson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gibson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Frances Gibson, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1624 6
  • 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 6
  • 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. 7
  • 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 7
  • Mr. Nics Gibson, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1835 aboard the ship "Assurance" 7
  • ... (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 6
  • Amy Gibson, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 6
  • Eliza Gibson, who landed in Virginia in 1714 6
  • Cha Gibson, who arrived in Virginia in 1718 6
  • 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 6
  • Fanny Gibson, aged 18, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 6
  • John Gibson, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1805 6
  • Margaret Gibson, who arrived in New York, NY in 1816 6
  • Alexander Gibson, who landed in Norfolk, Va in 1817 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Gibson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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 8
  • Mr. Gilbert Gibson U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 8
  • Mrs. Hannah Gibson U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 8
  • ... (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

Australia Gibson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants 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 9
  • 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 10
  • 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 11
  • 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 10
  • 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 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand 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
  • John Gibson, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Fifeshire
  • L Gibson, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842
  • Sandy Robert Gibson, aged 29, a farm labourer, 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.)

West Indies 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. 13
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 6
  • 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 14
  • Mr. Richard Gibson, (b. 1610), aged 25, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Gibson (post 1700) +

  • 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
  • Levi Withee "L. W." Gibson (1872-1919), American businessman and politician from La Crosse, Wisconsin who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and was a Republican in 1919
  • Charles E. Gibson Jr. (1925-2017), American lawyer and politician, Vermont Attorney General
  • Harry C. Gibson, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Governor of Ohio, 1926 16
  • Harry G. Gibson, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 13th District, 1934 16
  • Harold C. Gibson, American Republican politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Concord 4th Ward, 1956; Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Concord 4th Ward; Elected 1956 16
  • ... (Another 205 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
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
Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. John James  Gibson (1847-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 18
HMS Hood
  • 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 19
  • 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 19
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Geoffrey Gibson, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 20
HMS Royal Oak
  • Wilfred Gibson, British Chief Engine Room Artificer with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 21
  • Sidney James Gibson (1920-1939), British Marine with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 21
  • Gordon Gibson (1922-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 21
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • Kenneth James Gibson (1968-1988), American Army Specialist Four from Romulus, Michigan, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 22
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Matthew Orr Gibson, Scottish 1st Class Passenger from Glasgow, Scotland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 23
RMS Titanic
  • Mrs. Pauline Caroline Gibson, (née Boeson), aged 44, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 7 24
  • Miss Dorothy Winifred Gibson, aged 22, American First Class passenger from New York City, New York who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 7 24
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Claud C. Gibson, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 25
  • Mr. Billy Edwin Gibson, American Seaman First Class from West Virginia, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 25

Suggested Readings for the name Gibson +

  • The Gibson and Related Families by Penny Linder.
  • Gibson, McCormick, Turner Genealogy by F. McCormick Moore.
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  4. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  5. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  6. 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)
  7. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  8. 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
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/calcutta
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  15. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  16. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  17. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  21. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  22. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
  23. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  24. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
  25. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
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