Gist History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Gist is derived from the Old English word "giest," which in turn comes from the Old Norse Word "gestr," both of which mean "guest" or "stranger." This name was most likely originally a nickname for a guest or stranger, which then became a hereditary surname. 1
Early Origins of the Gist family
The surname Gist was first found in Worcestershire where Richard Thomas Guest held lands and manors in 1275, as listed in the Subsidy Rolls for that county. 2
Perhaps the earliest record of the name is of Beowoldus Gest, who lived c.1100 as listed in the book "Old English Bynames." Richard, Thomas le Gest were listed c.1248 and in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275. 2
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Roger Gest in Wiltshire and Gilbert de Geyste in Norfolk. The Feet of Fines listed Adam le Gest 11, Edward I (during the eleventh year of King Edward I's reign.) 3
Roger le Gist was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III 4 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Rogerus Gest and Robertus Gest.
Early History of the Gist family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gist research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1275, 1327, 1377, 1517, 1518, 1536, 1577, 1640, 1660, 1706, 1729, 1743, 1747, 1759 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Gist History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gist Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Gest, Gist, Guest and others.
Early Notables of the Gist family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Christopher Gist (1706-1759), was an American frontiersman from Baltimore, Maryland, who was commissioned by the Ohio Company to explore their western lands. He was one of the first European explorers...
- Historians believe that he received training as a surveyor, more than likely from his father Richard Gist, who helped plot the city of Baltimore. Gist's nephew Mordecai Gist (1743-1792) served as a ge...
Gist Ranking
In the United States, the name Gist is the 3,576th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5
Gist migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gist Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Christopher Gist, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1679 6
- Edeth Gist, who landed in Maryland in 1679 6
Gist Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Georg Gist, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 6
- John Adam Gist, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 6
Gist Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Y. Gist, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States, in 1896
Gist Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- John Henry Gist, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States from Manchester, England, in 1904
- M. C. Gist, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1904
- James Rapson Gist, aged 26, who settled in America from Callington, England, in 1909
- Annie/Henr. Gist, aged 19, who settled in America from Callington, England, in 1909
- Edwin J. Gist, aged 26, who landed in America from Clovelly, England, in 1913
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gist migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Gist Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Thomas Gist, (b. 1835), aged 19, Cornish labourer departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1854 aboard the ship "Nestor" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 16th September 1854 7
- Mrs. Grace Gist, (b. 1834), aged 20, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1854 aboard the ship "Nestor" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 16th September 1854 7
- Miss Ouana Gist, (b. 1854), aged Infant, Cornish settler born aboard the ship "Nestor" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 16th September 1854 7
- Mr. William Gist, (b. 1883), aged 19, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New Guinea" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 3rd March 1886 8
Contemporary Notables of the name Gist (post 1700) +
- Lieutenant Francis J. Gist, United States Navy co-pilot and navigator on Operation Highjump, eponym of Mount Gist, Antarctica
- William Henry Gist (1807-1874), American politician, the 68th Governor of South Carolina (1858 to 1860)
- Joseph Gist (1775-1836), American politician, U.S. Representative from South Carolina
- Carole Anne-Marie Gist (b. 1969), first African American woman to win the Miss USA title
- Nathaniel Gist (1733-1812), American colonel, born in Maryland, fought during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War, reputed father of Sequoyah the famous Cherokee
- Robert Gist (1917-1998), American actor and film director, one time husband of Agnes Moorehead
- Mordecai Gist (1743-1792), American general who commanded the Maryland Line in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
- Christopher Gist (1706-1759), American explorer, surveyor and frontiersman, one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country
- States Rights Gist (1831-1864), American lawyer from Union South Carolina, Confederate Army brigadier general who served in the American Civil War
- James Clough Gist III (b. 1986), American professional NBA basketball player
Suggested Readings for the name Gist +
- Our Guest Is Your Guess: With Related Families of Biss, Jones, Gimbel, and Gist: Including Over One Thousand Surnames by Patricia Ann Guest.
Citations +
- Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf