An English surname, Gamble comes from the Old Norman term of ‘gamall’ which means old and ancient. The spelling variations for Gamble include Gambol and Gambel. A German spelling for Gamble would be Gambel. In England the Gamble families originated in the Yorkshire region. Most of the Gamble families are still in the northern regions of England; in Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire. In Scotland the counties with the most Gamble families has been Angus, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, Midlothian and Clackmannanshire. Within the United States the Gamble families originated in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Tennessee, New York and Indiana. Famous: Clarence Oliver Gamble (champion tennis player in the Olympics), James Gamble (co-founder of the Procter & Gamble Company in 1837), Frederick Gamble (silent film actor), Chris Gamble (professional football player), Oscar Gamble (professional baseball player), Kenneth Gamble (songwriter and producer) and Fred Gamble (race car driver).