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

Gildersleeve, 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 Gildersleeve surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gildersleeve in America

Gildersleeve is the 17005th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gildersleeve surname appeared 1,671 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 Gildersleeve.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gildersleeve 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 Gildersleeve

The surname Gildersleeve has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Gildersleeve in Suffolk. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "gyldan" meaning "to gild" and "leah" meaning "a meadow or clearing in a forest."

In medieval times, it was common for people to take their surnames from the places they lived or were associated with. The earliest known record of the name Gildersleeve appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it is spelled as "Gilderesleve."

The name Gildersleeve can also be found in various historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1310, where it is spelled as "Gildersleue." Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327 mention a "John Gildersleue."

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gildersleeve was John Gildersleeve, born around 1450 in Essex, England. He was a prominent landowner and farmer in the region.

Another notable figure was Richard Gildersleeve (1516-1587), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, Thomas Gildersleeve (1617-1688) was a Puritan settler who emigrated to New England in the 1630s. He became one of the founders of the town of Huntington, Long Island, New York, and his descendants played a significant role in the early history of the region.

During the 18th century, Basil Gildersleeve (1742-1824) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He participated in several notable battles and was later promoted to the rank of Admiral.

In the 19th century, Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve (1831-1924) was a renowned American classical scholar and linguist. He was a professor of Greek at the University of Virginia and later at Johns Hopkins University, where he played a pivotal role in establishing the university's reputation for excellence in classical studies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gildersleeve

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!