Gillespie
A Scottish name meaning "follower of the church".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Gillespie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gillespie today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gillespie births was 1912 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gillespie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gillespie with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gillespie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1912
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1912 SSA rank
#2,682
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Gillespie: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gillespie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gillespie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gillespie
The name Gillespie has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language and is a combination of two words: "gille" meaning "servant" or "lad," and "Espog" meaning "bishop." This suggests that the name originally referred to a servant or attendant of a bishop. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period in Scotland, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Gillespie can be traced back to the 13th century in Scotland. It was a common surname among Scottish families, particularly in the Highlands and Lowlands regions. As a given name, Gillespie gained popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries, during the Protestant Reformation.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Gillespie was John Gillespie (1616-1675), a Scottish minister and theologian who played a significant role in the Covenanters' movement. He was a prominent figure in the Church of Scotland and was known for his opposition to the imposition of Episcopal government by King Charles I.
Another historical figure with the name Gillespie was Thomas Gillespie (1708-1774), a Scottish minister who founded the Relief Church in Scotland. He was a prominent figure in the Evangelical movement and advocated for greater religious tolerance and freedom of worship.
In the 19th century, Gillespie Parker (1823-1890) was a notable American politician and lawyer who served as the 17th Governor of New Jersey from 1869 to 1872. He played a significant role in the industrialization and economic development of the state during his tenure.
John Gillespie Magee Jr. (1922-1941) was a World War II Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot and poet. He is best known for his poem "High Flight," which is considered one of the most famous poems of the Second World War.
Another notable figure with the name Gillespie is Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993), an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He was a key figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz and is renowned for his innovative style and contributions to the genre.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Gillespie, highlighting its Scottish origins and its diverse use across various fields, including religion, politics, literature, and music.
People
Gillespie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gillespie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gillespie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gillespie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gillespie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Gillespie a common name?
We classify Gillespie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gillespie most popular?
The single biggest year for Gillespie was 1912, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gillespie is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gillespie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gillespie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gillespie in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gillespie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gillespie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gillespie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Gillespie?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.