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

Gilleylen, 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 Gilleylen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilleylen in America

Gilleylen is the 61436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilleylen surname appeared 327 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gilleylen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilleylen 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 Gilleylen

The surname GILLEYLEN is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period, specifically in the region of Galloway. It is derived from the Gaelic words "gille" meaning "servant" and "Leann" referring to a church or monastery.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were written records of homages sworn to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Gillyelan" in these rolls, suggesting that the spelling has evolved over time.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was associated with several notable figures. For instance, Sir John GILLEYLEN (1275-1342) was a prominent knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Another notable bearer of this surname was Margaret GILLEYLEN (1310-1378), who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth de Burgh.

In the 16th century, the GILLEYLEN family established themselves in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. One prominent member from this era was Robert GILLEYLEN (1525-1589), a wealthy landowner and merchant who played a significant role in the local community.

As the name spread across Scotland, it also underwent various spelling variations, such as Gillilan, Gilliland, and Gilliellen. One notable bearer of this variation was William Gilliland (1670-1742), a Presbyterian minister who emigrated from Scotland to Ireland and later became a prominent figure in the Church of Ireland.

In the 18th century, members of the GILLEYLEN family began migrating to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One such individual was Andrew GILLEYLEN (1745-1820), who settled in Virginia, United States, and became a successful farmer and landowner.

Throughout history, the GILLEYLEN surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including Sir David GILLEYLEN (1820-1892), a Scottish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Ayrshire; and Elizabeth GILLEYLEN (1865-1945), a renowned Scottish artist known for her landscape paintings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilleylen

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

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

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

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