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

Gillard, 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 Gillard surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillard in America

Gillard is the 8089th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillard surname appeared 4,099 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 Gillard.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillard 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 Gillard

The surname Gillard has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Gislhard, which is composed of the elements "gisel" meaning hostage and "hard" meaning hardy or brave. The name was introduced to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One of the earliest records of the name Gillard can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Gislardus" and refers to landowners in various counties across England.

The surname Gillard is also associated with several place names in England, such as Gillard's Green in Essex and Gillard's Farm in Gloucestershire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Gillard who lived or owned land in those areas.

In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John Gillard, a knight who fought in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 during the Second Barons' War. He was born around 1240 and died in the late 13th century.

Another prominent figure with the surname Gillard was Robert Gillard, an English clergyman and academic who lived in the 15th century. He was born in 1425 and served as the Warden of Merton College, Oxford, from 1483 until his death in 1498.

In the 16th century, William Gillard was a renowned English architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in London, including parts of the Charterhouse complex and St. Bartholomew's Hospital. He was born around 1520 and died in 1594.

During the 17th century, the name Gillard was also found in various parts of England. One notable bearer was Thomas Gillard, a merchant and landowner from Devon who was born in 1625 and died in 1702.

In the 18th century, John Gillard was a well-known English engraver and printmaker who was active in London from 1740 to 1780. He was particularly known for his engravings of landscapes and portraits.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillard

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

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

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

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