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

Gillan, 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 Gillan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillan in America

Gillan is the 16848th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillan surname appeared 1,694 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 Gillan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillan 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 Gillan

The surname Gillan has its origins in the Gaelic language and is believed to have originated in Scotland. It is derived from the personal name Gille-Anndra, which means "servant of Andrew" or "follower of St. Andrew." This name is a combination of the Gaelic words "gille," meaning servant or follower, and "Anndra," the Gaelic form of Andrew.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Gillan can be found in Scottish records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed that the name was initially concentrated in the areas of Argyll and the Western Isles, where Gaelic culture and language were prevalent.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the Ragman Rolls, a collection of homages and pledges of allegiance made to King Edward I of England. This document includes the names of several individuals with the surname Gillan or variations such as Gillandres and Gillandrys.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Gillan was Sir John Gillan, a Scottish knight who lived in the 14th century. He was a prominent figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence and fought alongside William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.

Another notable individual with this surname was James Gillan (1556-1628), a Scottish Jesuit priest and writer. He was born in Ayrshire and is best known for his work "A Briefe Description of the Isles of Shetland," which provides valuable insights into the life and culture of the Shetland Islands during the 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name Gillan is also found in Ireland, particularly in County Donegal. This is likely due to the migration of Scottish settlers to Ulster during the Plantation of Ulster in the early 17th century.

One of the most famous bearers of the Gillan surname was Ian Gillan (born 1945), an English singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Deep Purple. Although not of Scottish descent, his surname reflects the spread of the name beyond its original Scottish roots.

Other notable individuals with the surname Gillan include Sir John Gillan (1824-1900), a Scottish businessman and politician who served as Lord Provost of Glasgow, and Reverend John Gillan (1898-1982), a Scottish minister and writer who authored several books on religious and historical topics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillan

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

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

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

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