According to old records, Gapan was formerly called Ibon. But later on, the Spaniards called it “Gapang”. The Spanish soldiers saw natives crawling on the bushes and asked them what was the name of the locality. The natives thought the Spaniards were asking what they were doing and answered “gumagapang gapang kami”. The Spaniards thereafter named the area as “Pueblo Gapang”.
Gapan was established as a town by the Spaniards in 1595, making it the oldest town in the province of Nueva Ecija. The town’s boundary included Cabanatuan in the north; San Miguel, Bulacan in the south; Candaba, Pampanga in the west and the Sierra Madres in the east.
During the revolution against Spain, Gapan’s Filipino patriots actively participated in fighting foreign domination. In fact, the “Inang Bayan” monument at barangay San Vicente represents the 13 martyrs of Gapan who died in the course of the struggle against Spanish rule.
Gapan became a component city through Republic Act 9022 which was authored by former 4th district Representative Julita L. Villareal. A majority of Gapan’s voters ratified the cityhood proposal through a plebiscite held last August 25, 2001.