This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Gamel,' a once popular but now forgotten North-English personal name (v. Freeman, Norman Conq. ii. 477). It is compounded with many local names. The modern accepted surname form is Gamble and Gambles, the 6 being intrusive after m, as in Gambling, which see. Cammell is without question the same name.

Walter le Gamel, 6 Henry II: Whitaker's Craven.

Gamel de Sandford, 32 Henry II: Nicolson and Burn, History of Westmorland and Cumberland.

Gamel de Clifton, 1197: The Pipe Rolls, or Sheriff's Annual Accounts of the Counties of Cumberland, Westmorland and Durham during the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and John.

Gamel de Penred, 1190: ibid.

Huttred fil. Gamelli, Northumberland, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Allan fil. Gamel, Salop, ibid.

Gamal Dele, Close Rolls, 3 Edward I.

Adam Gamal, Close Rolls, ibid.

Adam fil. Gamel: West's Ant. of Furness.

Gamele de Pennington: ibid.

Elena Gamyll, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Henricus Gamyll, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Gamyll, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Gamolson, 1379: ibid.

The local Gambswell (i.e. Gatnel's well), in the parish of Ulverston; also Gamblesby in Cumberland may relate to this name.

John Gamble and Anne Beck, 1673: Marriage Alleg. (Canterbury).

Though English in origin and in Ireland only since the seventeenth century Gamble is sufficiently numerous to merit a place in a work on Irish surnames —— 40 births were registered in 1890 and 48 in 1865. The great majority of these were in north-east Ulster. The name first appears here in the Ulster inquisitions in Co. Armagh (1618) and Co. Cavan (1629); it is in the army lists of the 1640s; two Gambles are specified in Petty's “census” of 1659, one a merchant in Derry, the other in Cork city. The hearth money rolls for the northern counties (1663-9),contain 18 Gamble families: and the Cork marriage licence bonds have the name 13 times from 1670. Those in Munster gradually died out though a few remain, but in Ulster the reverse was the case, as any modern directory or voters' lists show. The principal landed family was in Kilooly in Co. Offaly de Burgh lists four others, all in Ulster. John Gamble (c.

1770-1831)was an author who wrote some admirable descriptions of life in his native Ulster.

Gamble, with its variants Gambell, Gammel and Gamel, is derived from the Old-Swedish gamal (old).

The old A.-Scand. pers. name Gamal, Gamel, Gamol-Old [Old English gamol, gamel, Old Norse gamall (Danish- Norwegian gammel, Swedish gammal), old]

Families of this name were established both in Ulster and Co. Cork in the seventeenth century. Since then the latter have dwindled and the former have multiplied. SIF 74

(English) Descendant of Gamel (old).

Gamel occurs both in Domesday and in the H.R. In the latter ' Fils Gamel' is also found. Anglo-Saxon gamol or gamel, old, aged. It is compounded with some Domesd. names, as Gamel-bar, ' old bear'-Gamel-carle, 'old male,'-both in co. York. Gamblesby in Cumberland, probably derived its name from a Danish proprietor.

Lower says, "Gamel occurs both in Domesday and in the H.R. In the latter ' Fitz Gamell is also found. Anglo-Saxon gamol or gamel, old, aged ... Gamblesby, in Cumberland, probably derived its name from a Danish proprietor." Gamla is the name of a town of Finland. Gamble may however be corrupted from the name Gumboil, which see.

Auberil Le Gemble, Norm. 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae).

From the patronymic Gamel, a Danish and Norman name (Lower). This may include other families besides Norman.

From the Old Norse, Gamli; from the Danish, Gamel; from the German, Kammell; in the Domesday Book, Game, Gamel, Gam; a personal name.

Thomas Gamble was vicar of Wroxham in 1719; and John Gayford was bailiff of Yarmouth in 1689 (Bl.).