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

Gillaspie, 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 Gillaspie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillaspie in America

Gillaspie is the 18523rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillaspie surname appeared 1,490 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 Gillaspie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillaspie 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 Gillaspie

The surname Gillaspie has its origins in Scotland, originating in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is a variant spelling of the Gaelic name Gilleasbaig, which is derived from the personal name Gillespie, meaning "servant of the bishop." The name likely originated in the Highlands region of Scotland, where Gaelic was widely spoken.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gillaspie can be found in the parish records of Killin, Perthshire, Scotland, from the late 17th century. The name is also mentioned in the "Origines Parochiales Scotiae," a historical record of Scottish parishes compiled in the 19th century.

The Gillaspie surname is closely associated with the Scottish clan system, with many bearers of the name belonging to the Clan Gillespie or its related septs. In the 18th and 19th centuries, several notable individuals with the Gillaspie surname emerged.

One such individual was John Gillaspie (1745-1825), a Scottish-American pioneer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent landowner and farmer.

Another notable Gillaspie was Alexander Gillaspie (1810-1886), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician. He immigrated to Canada in the 1830s and became a successful merchant and landowner in Ontario.

In the literary world, John Gillaspie (1871-1945) was a Scottish-American poet and playwright. He was born in Scotland but spent much of his life in the United States, where he contributed to the Scottish literary scene.

The name Gillaspie has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Gillaspie's Glen in Argyll and Bute, and Gillaspie's Burn in Stirlingshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Gillaspie surname who lived in or owned land in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the Gillaspie surname include William Gillaspie (1855-1931), a Scottish-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Tacoma, Washington, and James Gillaspie (1818-1897), a Scottish-born Canadian farmer and community leader in Ontario.

While the Gillaspie surname originated in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the Gaelic traditions and history of the Scottish Highlands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillaspie

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

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

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

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