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

Gilchrist, 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 Gilchrist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilchrist in America

Gilchrist is the 2811th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilchrist surname appeared 12,825 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Gilchrist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilchrist 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 Gilchrist

The surname Gilchrist is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "gille" meaning "servant" and "Crìosd" meaning "Christ." It emerged in the 12th century as a personal name given to youths who served in monastic establishments or churches dedicated to Christ.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century, with references to individuals like Gilcrist Makkarky in the Cartulary of Moray in 1171 and Gilcrist de Angreruyde in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document recording Scottish landowners' pledge of allegiance to King Edward I of England.

The Gilchrist name appears in various historical records, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, indicating its widespread use throughout the country.

One notable bearer of the name was Gilchrist, Earl of Angus, who lived in the late 12th century and played a significant role in the struggle for the Scottish throne during the minority of King Alexander III.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Gilchrist (1370-1452), a Scottish nobleman and warrior who fought alongside King Robert III and King James I in the battles against the English during the Wars of Scottish Independence.

In the 16th century, Archibald Gilchrist (1550-1623) was a Scottish minister and schoolmaster who served as the rector of the grammar school in Dunfermline and played a vital role in the education of King James VI (later King James I of England).

The name Gilchrist has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Gilchristoun (now known as Gilchriston) in East Lothian and Gilchristland in Lanarkshire, further reflecting its historical presence in the country.

Over time, the name has evolved into various spellings, including Gilchrist, Gilcrist, Gilkrist, and Gilchriston, reflecting regional variations and phonetic adaptations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilchrist

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

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 Gilchrist 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 Gilchrist 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 Gilchrist was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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