2000
#430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,699
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.47
Uncommon Last name
Gill
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a ravine or narrow valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 86,618 Americans carry the last name Gill. That puts it at #424 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,957 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gill 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 Gill with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
87K
1 in 3,957
Census rank
#424
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
76K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,535 bearers of the surname Gill in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 424th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gill, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Black (12.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gill
The surname Gill has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "gille," meaning a young man or a servant. This word itself stemmed from the Germanic name "Gilo" or "Gil," which means "pledged youth" or "young warrior."
Gill was a common surname in medieval England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Lancashire. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166, referencing a person named Roger Gill.
In the 13th century, the surname Gill was found in various historical documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William Gill. The surname also appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1230, referencing a Richard Gille.
During the 14th century, the name Gill was documented in several places, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Gill was mentioned in 1317. Additionally, the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379 recorded a Robert Gill.
Notable figures with the surname Gill throughout history include:
1. Alexander Gill (1565-1635), an English scholar and theologian who served as the headmaster of St. Paul's School in London.
2. Thomas Gill (c. 1600-1675), an English author and satirist known for his work "The Parson's Monitor."
3. John Gill (1697-1771), an English Baptist minister and biblical scholar known for his extensive commentary on the Bible.
4. William Gill (1843-1923), an English artist and illustrator renowned for his work in children's literature.
5. Eric Gill (1882-1940), a renowned English sculptor, typeface designer, and printmaker, known for his work in the Arts and Crafts movement.
The surname Gill has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Gillingham in Kent and Gilsland in Cumbria. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Gille, Gyll, and Gylle.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gill
Among Census respondents with the surname Gill, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Black (12.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gill 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 Gill surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.1% · 45,397
- Asian and Pacific Islander17.9% · 13,493
- Black or African American12.7% · 9,625
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 3,858
- Two or more races3.7% · 2,775
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 387
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gill
Gill 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
#435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 74,948
+6,249 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 25.41
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,535
+587 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 25.27
Rank movement Up 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #430 | 68,699 | 25.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #435 | 74,948 | 25.41 | +6,249 bearers (+9.1%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #424 | 75,535 | 25.27 | +587 bearers (+0.8%) | Up 11 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 Gill 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 | #435 | #424 | 2.5% |
| Count | 74,948 | 75,535 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 25.41 | 25.27 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gill bearers went from 74,948 to 75,535 (+0.8% change). The surname moved up 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #435 to #424.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gill
FAQ
Gill surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gill?
Name Census estimates that about 86,618 living Americans carry the surname Gill. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,957 residents.
How common is Gill?
Gill ranks #424 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,535 people with the surname Gill. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (86,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Gill.
Has Gill become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gill went from 74,948 recorded bearers to 75,535. That is an increase of 587 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #435 to #424.
What does the Census say about the background of Gill?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gill, the largest self-reported group is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%) and Black (12.7%). 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 Gill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (45,397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gill appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (60.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (17.9%), Black (12.7%). 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 Gill (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 Gill mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a ravine or narrow valley. 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 Gill (25.27 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 people share the surname Gill?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.