Gama
A surname that can reflect a place name in Normandy or a Spanish/Portuguese name form, best known from Vasco da Gama.
The #7,383 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,412 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The historical evidence points to more than one possible source. In English surname studies, Gama is often treated as a shortened or altered form related to de Gamaches, a place-name surname from Gamaches in Normandy. In Iberian use, Gama can also be a native surname form, especially associated with Portuguese and Spanish naming traditions, though the exact root is not settled from these excerpts.
History
The surname is most famously associated with the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, which helped spread the form internationally. In French and English records, similar spellings were often linked to Norman place names such as Gamaches, with medieval spellings varying widely. Because the same short form can arise from different traditions, modern bearers may have different family origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Vasco da Gama’s voyages made the surname one of the most globally recognized Portuguese names in history.
From the historical record
“way, Gama^, Gammage, Cam- idge. — Local, *de Gamage,* or 'Gamages,' or 'Camages. The variant Cam idge need present no difficulty, as C and G were con- stantly interchangeable, as this”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)