Find out how popular the last name Gaillard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gaillard.

Gaillard, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gaillard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaillard in America

Gaillard is the 12140th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaillard surname appeared 2,566 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gaillard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaillard to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gaillard

The surname Gaillard has its origins in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "gaillard," which means "gay" or "joyous." The name likely referred to someone with a lively or cheerful disposition.

In medieval times, the Gaillard family was prominent in the region of Normandy, France. Records show that a knight named Robert Gaillard participated in the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, fighting alongside William the Conqueror. His name appears in the famous Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William I in 1086.

The Gaillard surname can be traced back to various places in Normandy, such as the village of Gaillard in the department of Calvados. Other early spellings of the name include Gaillart, Gaillart, and Gailliard.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Gaillard surname was Guillaume Gaillard, a French poet and composer who lived in the 13th century. He was known for his contributions to the courtly love tradition and his works, such as the Roman de la Rose.

Another notable figure was Jean Gaillard, a French architect and engineer who lived from 1675 to 1737. He is best known for his design of the Château de Versailles, where he served as the Chief Architect under King Louis XIV.

In the 19th century, the Gaillard family produced several notable figures, including Auguste Gaillard (1817-1878), a French historian and archaeologist who specialized in the study of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. His works include "Recherches sur les Monnaies Grecques" and "Histoire de la Rivière de Gênes."

Pierre Gaillard (1808-1889) was a French painter and lithographer known for his landscape paintings and illustrations of rural life in France. His works were exhibited at the Paris Salon and are now part of various museum collections.

In the 20th century, Jean Gaillard (1904-1999) was a renowned French architect and urban planner. He was instrumental in the reconstruction and modernization of several cities in France after World War II, including Le Havre and Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaillard

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gaillard.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gaillard was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gaillard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gaillard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gaillard, please contact us.

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