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

Gillham, 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 Gillham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillham in America

Gillham is the 16679th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillham surname appeared 1,717 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 Gillham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillham 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 Gillham

The surname Gillham is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "gyllan" meaning "to yell or make a loud noise" and "ham" meaning "homestead or village." The name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who lived in a noisy or loud village or hamlet.

The earliest known record of the name Gillham can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Gyllanham" in the county of Wiltshire. This suggests that the name was already established in this region by the late 11th century.

During the 13th century, variations of the name, such as "Gilham" and "Gillam," began to appear in various historical records, including the Curia Regis Rolls of 1201 and the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire from 1260.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gillham was William Gillham, who was born in Warwickshire, England, around 1470. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of the Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Gillham (1565-1638), a successful merchant and member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers in London. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes with the Netherlands and other European countries.

In the 17th century, the Gillham family had a strong presence in the county of Gloucestershire, where they owned several manors and estates. One of the most prominent members of this branch was Sir Thomas Gillham (1620-1685), who served as a magistrate and was knighted for his services to the Crown.

During the English Civil War, a Captain Robert Gillham (1610-1680) fought on the Parliamentarian side and was known for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield. He later became a influential figure in the local government of Wiltshire.

Another notable figure with the surname Gillham was Richard Gillham (1735-1811), a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Bath, including the iconic Pulteney Bridge.

As the name spread across England and beyond, it also took on various spellings, such as "Gillam," "Gillum," and "Gilham," reflecting regional dialects and variations in pronunciation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillham

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!