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

Gile, 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 Gile surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gile in America

Gile is the 11781st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gile surname appeared 2,660 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 Gile.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gile 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 Gile

The surname GILE originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English name Gile or Gyles, which stems from the Germanic elements "gil" meaning "hostage" or "pledge." This name was sometimes used as a nickname for someone of a cheerful or amiable disposition.

The earliest known record of the GILE surname dates back to the 12th century in the county of Gloucestershire. An entry in the Pipe Rolls of 1198 mentions a Thomas Gile who was a landowner in the village of Winchcombe.

By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 record a John Gyle from the village of Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire.

In the 14th century, the GILE surname appeared in various historical documents, such as the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 which listed a William Gile from the county of Somerset. Additionally, the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 included entries for a Roger Gyle from Oxfordshire and a John Gile from Gloucestershire.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the GILE surname was Sir John Gile (1390-1452), a prominent English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire.

Another significant figure was Thomas Gile (1542-1623), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Godly Treatise Concerning the Lawfull Proceeding in Causes of Religion."

In the 17th century, the GILE surname made its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest settlers was Samuel Gile (1624-1689), who arrived in Massachusetts from England in 1638 and later became a prominent landowner and deacon in the town of Haverhill.

During the 18th century, a notable figure was Ezekiel Gile (1717-1777), a soldier from Massachusetts who served in the French and Indian War and later fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Another individual of note was John Gile (1789-1865), a farmer and politician from New Hampshire who served as a member of the state legislature and was elected as a delegate to the state's constitutional convention in 1850.

Throughout history, the GILE surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Gyle, Guile, Gyll, and Gill, reflecting the different pronunciations and regional dialects across England and later in the American colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gile

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

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

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

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