Background: The Gibsons were a sept, or division, of Clan Buchanan and Clan Cameron. From very early times, the family was seated in Galloway in southwestern Scotland, which is part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. Although Gibson is believed to be of Scotish origin, the surname Gibson appears in many old English records, dating back to 1379. It is a patronymic form of the common mediaeval personal name Gib, which is a short form of Gilbert. The name Gilbert was very popular in England in the Middle Ages. It is derived from Giselbert, which was introduced into England by the Normans. This name is composed of the Germanic elements gisil ("pledge", "hostage", "noble youth") and berht ("bright", "famous").