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

Giles, 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 Giles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Giles in America

Giles is the 849th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Giles surname appeared 40,598 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 14 people would have the surname Giles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Giles 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 Giles

The surname GILES is of English origin, derived from the given name Giles, which is ultimately from the Greek name Aegidius, meaning "young goat". The name made its way into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, brought over by Norman settlers from France.

GILES is thought to have originated as a surname in the 12th century, initially used to identify individuals who bore the given name Giles. It was particularly common in the counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire. The earliest recorded instance of the surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where one Radulfus Giles is mentioned.

The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname GILES, as surnames were not widely used at that time. However, it does list several individuals with the given name Giles, indicating the presence of the name in England prior to the emergence of hereditary surnames.

In the 13th century, the name GILES is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where it appears as "Gyles". The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 also mention a John Gyles. During this period, the name was sometimes associated with the place name Giles, a village in Worcestershire, which may have contributed to its use as a surname.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname GILES was John Giles, a 14th-century English landowner and Member of Parliament for Devizes in 1335 and 1337. Another notable figure was William Giles, a 15th-century English judge and Chief Baron of the Exchequer, who lived from around 1390 to 1458.

In the 16th century, the name GILES gained prominence through individuals such as John Giles, an English Protestant reformer and author who lived from 1543 to 1611. Another notable bearer was Nathaniel Giles, a 17th-century English clergyman and author, who lived from 1635 to 1701.

Other historical figures with the surname GILES include James Giles, an 18th-century English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury from 1754 to 1768, and Benjamin Giles, an American Revolutionary War soldier and member of the Virginia House of Delegates, who lived from 1742 to 1836.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Giles

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

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

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

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