The Irish surname Gibson is patronymic in origin, belonging to that category of surnames derived from the first name of the father of the original bearer. Thus, it simply denotes “son of Gilbert”, of which Gib{b} was a common diminutive in medieval times. Gilbert in turn originates in the Old Germanic “Gislebert”, meaning “pledge/hostage-bright”. In Ireland bearers of the name are usually descendants of the Scottish Gibson’s who settled in Ulster in the seventeenth century. The Scottish Gibson’s are a branch of the clan Buchanan. First records of their name date from 1335, when a John Gibson surrendered the Castle of Rothesay. A Thomas Gibson held land in Dumfries in 1425. The Gibson’s of Caithness and Orkney are mainly of Edinburgh origin, while the Gibson’s of Durie, date from 1500 having held land in Durie until 1785. One of the earliest references to this name in Ireland is a record of one John Gibson, the son of Thomas Gibson, who was christened on April 16, 1661 in Templemore, Derry. George Gibson, the son of William Gibson and Mary Cain, was born in May 1686 in Drumgor, Armagh. Hugh Gibson, the son of Andrew and Isabell Gibson, was christened on October 24, 1680 in Saint Catherine’s Church, Dublin. Robert Gibson wed Martha Grimes on June 20, 1690 in Lisburn, Antrim.
More recently, there is an entry for the wedding of Patrick Gibson and Anne Mahaffey, celebrated on November 18, 1846 in Donegal. Among the most notable bearers of the name have been Charles Gibson {1867-1944}, the American illustrator and creator of the “Gibson Girl”, and Paris Gibson {1830-1920}, the American pioneer. Research is of course ongoing and there may still be more documentation found that indicates an even earlier date than the one mentioned above.
Source:
TheTreeMaker.com
Gary Gibson says
“Gibson” also come from old Scottish Gaelic “Giobsan”
Douglas chaffee says
My moms family came from Sweden the Gibsons.I thought I was a descendent from Sweden.Now I’m finding out original family was Scottish
Wow, can anyone help me with this?
Buddy Gibson says
Gibson is hard to track down to a single area. I firmly believe that Gibson is Scandinavian and merely a part of those who conquered then assimilated. So we are mutts… yeah… but most importantly…. we are survivors. Goodluck on your quest.
Gibson says
Well the name is most certainly not Scandinavian. Unless one considers that the name came about from the Normans who invaded England. Of course the Normans were first and second generation Norsemen, that’s the name of their French enclave, Normandie. As immediate descendants of Scandinavia, they brought Scandinavian cultural traits with them to England. Attaching the suffix “son“, is of course, a Scandinavian cultural trait. But the name Gibson arose in northern England and southern Scotland. The people who bore the name were most certainly not Scandinavian.
Buddy Gibson says
I stand by my original comment until you can prove me wrong.. You seem to have forgotten that the north men conquered and assimilated northern England hundreds of years before the Normans of Brittany.. the DNA proves it too.
Lashondra says
Same here!! Wow!
Kris Kersch says
Check Tyrone County, Ireland. Gibson branches plentifully, like Smith.
regie gibson says
Well, I am an African-American with the same last name. So, how the name came to me is very different than how it came to you. According to my DNA profile, the English/Scottish/Irish genes entered my family lineage between 1700 and 1750 or somewhere thereabouts. So, as you can guess, it was most likely not cordially invited to do so. So, I am most likely the product of a rape.
However, I am very interested in finding out about the Gibson or Gibson’s who immigrated to America in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Any info?
Kris Kersch says
http://www.gibsonfamilyhistory.com
Click link>click family frees>scroll down & select>go to the right click>Tree
There are allot of trees. A Gibson could be related to King Caibre Liffeachair on FamilySearch.org LVDT-V74
I think we talked before. Good luck. Kris
Joan Gibson says
Loads of mixed race Gibsons out of Virginia and we weren’t the product of rape or enslavement. So, you may actually descend from Free Persons of Colour or like me had a white UK First Emigrant Gibson who mated with the Powhatan tribes and whose prodigy also mated with African mixes, Free Persons of Colour. I have Gibson in my family history who were mostly white, or mostly Native, or mostly black. All thanks to Jamestown, very, very early…Check out Jane Gibson, the Elder, Indian Woman on the internet. She was my auntie.
Aoife Gibson says
Hello fellow Gibsons
It’s lovely to see that there are so many Gibsons from across the globe.
My side of the Gibsons (my maternal grandfathers side) grew up in Belfast and specifically shank hill. I’m specifically trying to find pictures of the family as my grandfather moved to Dublin and then England in the 40s so unfortunately we have no idea what his father looks like. Over the years we have managed to get pics of his mother and all but one sibling .
I believe the family lived in Newtonwards before Shankhill. I’ve been told the name is Scottish and the Gibsons event fought with Robert the Bruce but I can’t confirm that at all.
Aoife