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

Gilcrease, 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 Gilcrease surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilcrease in America

Gilcrease is the 18511th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilcrease surname appeared 1,491 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 Gilcrease.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilcrease 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 Gilcrease

The surname Gilcrease is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic phrase "Gille Crìosd," which translates to "servant of Christ." This name can be traced back to the early medieval period in the Scottish Highlands, where it was likely adopted as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who served in a religious order or was particularly devout in their Christian faith.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gilcrease can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document that recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the name was already well-established in Scotland by the late 13th century.

The Gilcrease surname may also have connections to certain place names in Scotland, such as Gilchryst, a small village located in Stirlingshire. It's possible that the name originated as a locative surname, referring to someone who hailed from this or a similar location.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Gilcrease. One prominent example is Thomas Gilcrease (1890-1962), an American oil tycoon and art collector from Oklahoma. His extensive collection of Native American artifacts and art formed the basis of the Gilcrease Museum, which opened in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1949.

Another notable Gilcrease was Sir William Gilcrease (1797-1871), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a prominent figure in the Australian colony of New South Wales.

In the literary world, William Gilcrease (1824-1890) was an American poet and lawyer from Tennessee, known for his contributions to Southern literature in the 19th century.

The name Gilcrease also has ties to early Scottish immigrants to North America. One example is John Gilcrease, who was among the first Scottish settlers to arrive in Virginia in the mid-17th century.

While the spelling "Gilcrease" is the most common form of the surname today, historical records also show variations such as Gilchrist, Gilchryst, and Gilchrist, reflecting the name's evolution over time and across different regions.

Overall, the surname Gilcrease has a rich and diverse history, spanning multiple countries and centuries, and reflecting the cultural and religious influences that have shaped its meaning and significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilcrease

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

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

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

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