Gamache
A surname of French origin, likely from a nickname or older Germanic personal-name source, later established in French-speaking regions.
The #8,126 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,636 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Gamache appears in French form and is probably tied to older Germanic naming elements, though the exact source is not secure. Nineteenth-century surname scholars linked it with a family of diminutive or nickname forms alongside names such as Gammage and Gamichon, but the derivation is not certain. In practice, it is safest to treat Gamache as a French surname with a likely medieval nickname or personal-name origin.
History
The name is well established in French and French-Canadian usage, where it is most commonly encountered today. The historical scholarship cited for it is brief and somewhat speculative, so the surname’s earlier development is not fully settled. In North America, Gamache became especially visible through French-Canadian migration and settlement.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname is uncommon in the United States today but is much more familiar in French-Canadian family lines.
From the historical record
“DIMINUTIVES. Eng. Gammage, Cammegh — French Gamache. French Gamichon. compounds. (Hard) Old German Gamard, 7th cent. — Mod. German Gammert — French Gamard, Gaimard, Camard. (Har%”
— The Teutonic Name-System applied to the family names of France, England and Germany