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

Gilfillan, 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 Gilfillan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilfillan in America

Gilfillan is the 20601st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilfillan surname appeared 1,286 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gilfillan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilfillan 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 Gilfillan

The surname Gilfillan is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic personal name 'Gillafholain', which translates to 'the servant of St. Fillan'. St. Fillan was a renowned 8th-century Scottish abbot and saint, revered particularly in the Perthshire and Fife regions of Scotland.

The earliest known record of the name Gilfillan dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who swore fealty to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence. One notable entry is that of Gillecrist Gylfillan, a landowner from the county of Perthshire.

During the Middle Ages, the Gilfillan family held lands in the parish of Alva, situated near the town of Stirling. Historical records indicate that in the 16th century, a branch of the family migrated to the Renfrewshire region, where they established themselves in the parish of Kilbarchan.

The name Gilfillan has been recorded with various spellings throughout history, such as Gilfillan, Gilfillen, Gilfillane, and Gilfillan. These variations likely arose due to the challenges of transliterating Gaelic names into English and the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier times.

One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Gilfillan surname was Sir John Gilfillan, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

In the 17th century, Robert Gilfillan (1598-1676) was a prominent Scottish minister and theologian who played a pivotal role in the National Covenant of 1638, a key event in the struggle for religious freedom in Scotland.

George Gilfillan (1813-1878) was a Scottish author, poet, and literary critic who wrote extensively on literature and theology. He was widely respected for his literary works and served as a minister in the United Presbyterian Church.

James Gilfillan (1835-1916) was a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the steel industry. He was a generous benefactor, contributing significant funds to educational institutions and charitable causes.

Lastly, Sir Colville Gilfillan (1891-1969) was a British Army officer who served with distinction during World War I and World War II, receiving numerous honors and decorations for his military service, including the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilfillan

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

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

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

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