Gish
A surname of uncertain origin, best treated as a rare name with no securely documented derivation in the excerpted sources.
The #8,711 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 81,939 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The provided source does not actually discuss the surname Gish; it only contains an incidental appearance of the unrelated word "wag-gish." Because of that, there is no solid evidence here for the surname’s root meaning. In general, Gish is most safely treated as an English-language surname of uncertain origin, possibly arising as a variant form of another name or from a lost local nickname.
History
There is no usable historical discussion of this surname in the excerpt provided. In modern records, Gish is a relatively uncommon surname in the United States, but the excerpted source does not help explain its earlier spread or original form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the only excerpt mentions the unrelated adjective "wag-gish," this source is a reminder that OCR-era surname hunts can be misleading.
From the historical record
“picture, bluffed by the wind and burnt by the sun ; still it was ever cheery withal, now demure, half wag- gish, half impudent, anon all benevolence as he de- tails the merits of his latest painless corn-suppressing plaster, and assures the gaping swains that his sole object in life, since the happy moment when he…”
— English Surnames: their sources and significations