Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Gibson

Gibson is the transferred use of an English patronymic surname (i.e., passed from father to son). It essentially means “son of Gib” with Gib being an old medieval pet form of Gilbert. Gilbert is a masculine name rooted in the ancient Frankish-Germanic elements “gisil” meaning “pledge, hostage” and “berht” meaning “bright, famous” (originally rendered as Gislebert). During the Middle Ages a “pledge” would have been a young nobleman “pledged” to the royal court in the service of the king (a knight in training, so to speak). The name was brought to England by the Norman French and made famous by a 12th century English saint. St. Gilbert of Sempringham used his inherited wealth to found the Gilbertines, a religious order which included both priests and nuns (he is noted as the only Englishman to have done so). Eventually his order would be disbanded when King Henry VIII cut ties with Rome, replaced Catholicism with the Church of England and suppressed all the monasteries. St. Gilbert is still celebrated on his Feast Day of February 4th. The name Gilbert was widely bestowed on English baby boys in St. Gilbert’s honor during the Middle Ages, and Gib became a short form of this old Germanic name. Just as Johnson, Jackson and Williamson developed as surnames from a father’s personal name, so too did Gibson. The first written record of the family name appeared as Gibsone in the early 14th century. As a given name, Gibson has never been one of the more popular surnames-turned-forenames.

All About the Baby Name – Gibson

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME GIBSON

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME GIBSON

Gibson is a surname rarely used as a given name. It did appear on the U.S. Top 1000 list a couple times in the late 19th century, but for the most part it’s not generally considered a given name. Gibson has reappeared on the charts recently in the 2010 but it’s still one of the lesser used surnames out of the plethora available today. Today parents are either using Gibson as a family name they want to pass on to their sons, or else they’re using it as another random choice in the current trendy craze over surnames as forenames. Miller, Brecken and Turner are some of the newer surnames we’ve seen appear on the charts more recently. Parents who like surnames but don’t want one as ubiquitous as Mason, Logan or Jackson may be opting for these lesser used examples.

Quick Facts

ON GIBSON

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

823

PRONUNCIATION:

GIB-sәn

SIMPLE MEANING:

Son of Gilbert

Characteristics

OF GIBSON

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Gibson

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME GIBSON

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Gibson

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME GIBSON

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Gibson


Popular Songs

ON GIBSON

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Gibson


Famous People

NAMED GIBSON

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Gibson.

Children of Famous People

NAMED GIBSON

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Gibson

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME GIBSON

Althea Gibson was an American tennis player and professional golfer, who was, incidentally, the first African-American to cross the color line in international tennis as well as being the first African-American woman to play on women’s professional golf tours. Often called the Jackie Robinson for her gender and sport(s), Althea Gibson, in spite of her tremendous accomplishments, always remained a gracious and modest woman. Born in South Carolina and raised in Harlem, Althea showed an affinity for sports early on, and with the help of mentors, forged her way into any number of “firsts” for her race and her sex. She was the first black Wimbledon champion, the first African-American athlete to win a Grand Slam event, and the first black woman to appear on the covers of Sports Illustrated and Time. At the age of thirty-seven, she became the first black woman to join the LPGA. In addition to her prowess in sports, Althea also sang professionally, appeared in a movie, wrote her memoirs, taught, ran for public office and spoke on innumerable occasions. All of this fame brought little fortune, however, and Althea Gibson was actually considering suicide in her later years, when she was sick and living on welfare (a former tennis partner came to her rescue). No less a luminary than Venus Williams says it all: “I am honored to have followed in such great footsteps…her legacy will live on”.