2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gillfillan
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "giolla fhillain" meaning "servant of the ecclesiastics".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Gillfillan. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gillfillan 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.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Gillfillan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillfillan, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gillfillan
The surname Gillfillan originated in Scotland, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "gille" meaning "servant" and "Fillan," the name of a Scottish saint. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who served in a religious capacity related to St. Fillan.
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in the charter records of the Abbey of Arbroath in 1204, where a person named Gillandres Gillefillane is mentioned. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Gilfillan, Gilfilland, and Gillfillan.
The Gillfillan family was historically associated with the regions of Stirlingshire and Perthshire in central Scotland. Some notable early bearers of the name include John Gillfillan, who was recorded as a burgess of Stirling in 1526, and James Gillfillan, a member of the Scottish Parliament representing the burgh of Stirling in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in connection with the village of St. Fillans, located near Loch Earn in Perthshire. This place name is derived from St. Fillan, further reinforcing the link between the surname and the Scottish saint.
One of the most notable individuals with the Gillfillan surname was the Reverend George Gillfillan (1813-1878), a Scottish author, poet, and critic who wrote extensively on literary and religious topics. Another well-known figure was Sir Walter Gillfillan (1836-1916), a Scottish businessman and politician who served as Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1905 to 1908.
Other notable individuals with the Gillfillan surname include:
1. Robert Gillfillan (1798-1886), a Scottish-born Canadian farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada.
2. James Gillfillan (1854-1935), a Scottish-born American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Gillfillan Oil Company in Los Angeles.
3. John Gillfillan (1805-1870), a Scottish-born American politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and helped establish the public school system in Wisconsin.
4. William Gillfillan (1829-1899), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
5. Thomas Gillfillan (1836-1912), a Scottish-born Australian entrepreneur and politician who was involved in the mining industry and served as a member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia.
The Gillfillan surname has a rich history rooted in Scotland, with connections to religious figures, place names, and notable individuals across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gillfillan
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillfillan, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gillfillan 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 Gillfillan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gillfillan
Gillfillan 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-8 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,493 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+7 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 18,493 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.8%) | Up 7,788 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 Gillfillan 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 | #157,234 | #149,446 | 5.0% |
| Count | 103 | 110 | 6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gillfillan bearers went from 103 to 110 (+6.8% change). The surname moved up 7,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #149,446.
FAQ
Gillfillan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gillfillan?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Gillfillan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Gillfillan?
Gillfillan ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Gillfillan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gillfillan.
Has Gillfillan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gillfillan went from 103 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 7 (+6.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Gillfillan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillfillan, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Gillfillan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gillfillan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Gillfillan (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 Gillfillan mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "giolla fhillain" meaning "servant of the ecclesiastics". 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 Gillfillan (0.04 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 many people have the surname Gillfillan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.