Gibson
A very common surname meaning “son of Gib,” with Gib being a short form of Gilbert.
The #130 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,619 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Gibson is a patronymic surname built from the medieval pet form Gib, a familiar short form of the personal name Gilbert. In plain terms, it means “son of Gib” or “son of Gilbert.” The deeper roots of Gilbert are Germanic, with the first element related to a pledge and the second to brightness or famousness, depending on how the name is analyzed.
History
The name is common in England and Scotland and appears early in both records and surname lists. Nineteenth-century surname writers consistently treated Gibson as a straightforward derivative of Gilbert rather than a separate place-based name. It later spread widely in the English-speaking world, especially through migration to North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower noted that Gibson gave rise to several related surnames and forms, including Gibbs and Gibbings.
From the historical record
“GIBBONSON. See Gilbert. GIBSON. See Gilbert. GIDDEN. A corruption of Gideon. GIDDING. GIDDINGS. Gidding, parishes in cos. Huntingdon and Suffolk. GIDDY. An ancient Cornish family, formerly written Gedy, Geddey, Gidey, &c. Possibly a nurse-name of Gideon. GIDEON. The personal name.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom