2000
#12,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Gilland
A Scottish and Irish topographical surname referring to someone who lived near a ravine or narrow valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,226 Americans carry the last name Gilland. That puts it at #14,688 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 153,978 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilland 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 Gilland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 153,978
Census rank
#14,688
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,941 bearers of the surname Gilland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14688th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilland, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gilland
The surname Gilland has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "gil" meaning a ravine or a deep rocky valley, and "land" meaning land or territory. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a ravine or a valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Robert de Gilelande is mentioned. The name appears to have been concentrated in the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire during the medieval period.
In the 13th century, the name was also recorded in various spellings such as Gilland, Gylland, and Gylande. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 contain entries for individuals with the surname Gilland, including a William Gilland from Nottinghamshire.
The Gilland family held lands in the village of Gilland in Nottinghamshire, which may have contributed to the surname's origin and its association with that particular location. This place name is derived from the Old English words "gil" and "land" and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Notable individuals with the surname Gilland include:
1. Sir John Gilland (c. 1330 - 1399), an English knight and landowner in Lincolnshire.
2. Thomas Gilland (c. 1450 - 1520), a member of the Guild of Corpus Christi in York, known for his contributions to the city's religious life.
3. Elizabeth Gilland (c. 1570 - 1635), a wealthy landowner in Nottinghamshire who left a substantial inheritance to her descendants.
4. William Gilland (1620 - 1687), a merchant and ship owner from Hull, who traded with the Netherlands and Baltic regions.
5. Robert Gilland (1750 - 1820), a prominent farmer and landowner in Yorkshire, known for his innovations in agricultural practices.
As the centuries passed, the Gilland surname spread beyond its original geographic concentration, with bearers of the name found in various parts of England and eventually migrating to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilland
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilland, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilland 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 Gilland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 1,696
- Two or more races4.7% · 92
- Black or African American3.6% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilland
Gilland 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
#12,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,439
+184 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#14,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,941
-498 bearers (-20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 2,018 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,598 | 2,255 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,670 | 2,439 | 0.83 | +184 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #14,688 | 1,941 | 0.65 | -498 bearers (-20.4%) | Down 2,018 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 Gilland 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 | #12,670 | #14,688 | -15.9% |
| Count | 2,439 | 1,941 | -20.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.65 | -21.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilland bearers went from 2,439 to 1,941 (-20.4% change). The surname moved down 2,018 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,670 to #14,688.
FAQ
Gilland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,226 living Americans carry the surname Gilland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 153,978 residents.
How common is Gilland?
Gilland ranks #14,688 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,941 people with the surname Gilland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gilland.
Has Gilland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilland went from 2,439 recorded bearers to 1,941. That is a decrease of 498 (-20.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,670 to #14,688.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilland, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Gilland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (1,696 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Black (3.6%). 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 Gilland (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 Gilland mean?
A Scottish and Irish topographical surname 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 Gilland (0.65 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 common is the surname Gilland?
If you just want to know how many people are called Gilland, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.