2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gilespie
A Scottish surname derived from the given name Gille Easbain, meaning "servant of the Bishop".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Gilespie. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilespie surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gilespie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Gilespie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilespie, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gilespie
The surname Gilespie originated in Scotland during the late Middle Ages. It is a variant spelling of the more common Scottish surname Gillespie, derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gilleasbuig". This name is composed of two elements: "gille" meaning "servant" or "lad", and "easbuig" meaning "bishop".
Gilespie is therefore thought to have been an occupational surname, initially referring to someone who served or worked for a bishop. The earliest recorded instances of the name are found in Scottish records and charters from the 13th and 14th centuries, where it appears spelled variously as Gillespec, Gilaspie, Gilaspie, and Gillespie.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Gillespie, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another notable early Gilespie was Walter Gillespy, a prominent merchant in Aberdeen in the late 15th century.
The Gilespie surname has been associated with several places in Scotland, including the lands of Gilespie in the county of Fife, and the village of Gilespie in East Lothian. Some of the oldest surviving records mentioning the name come from these areas.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Gilespies were involved in the religious and political upheavals that swept across Scotland, with some supporting the Protestant Reformation and others remaining loyal to the Catholic Church. One notable figure from this era was John Gilespie, a Presbyterian minister who was executed for his part in the Monmouth Rebellion against King James VII in 1685.
Other historical figures with the Gilespie surname include Thomas Gilespie (1708-1774), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister and principal founder of the Relief Church; James Gilespie (1736-1805), a Scottish-American merchant and planter in Virginia; and George Gilespie (1683-1737), a Scottish scholar and theologian who wrote extensively in defense of Presbyterianism.
As the centuries passed, bearers of the Gilespie name could be found throughout Scotland and, later, in many parts of the English-speaking world, particularly North America and Australia, following the patterns of Scottish emigration and settlement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilespie
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilespie, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilespie bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gilespie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.3% · 70
- Black or African American30.8% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilespie
Gilespie appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+10 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 334 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 334 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5,600 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gilespie surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #136,449 | #142,049 | -4.1% |
| Count | 123 | 120 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilespie bearers went from 123 to 120 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #142,049.
FAQ
Gilespie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilespie?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Gilespie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Gilespie?
Gilespie ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Gilespie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gilespie.
Has Gilespie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilespie went from 123 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilespie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilespie, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Black (30.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gilespie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.3% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilespie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.3%), Black (30.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gilespie (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gilespie mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the given name Gille Easbain, meaning "servant of the Bishop". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gilespie (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Gilespie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.