2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gillhouse
A topographic surname likely denoting someone who lived near a hill house or remote cottage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Gillhouse. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gillhouse 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Gillhouse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gillhouse
The surname Gillhouse is of English origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the word "gill," which was an Old English term referring to a narrow valley or ravine, combined with the word "house," indicating a dwelling place. Thus, Gillhouse likely referred to a house or settlement located in a narrow valley or ravine.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Gillhouse appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, England, where a Thomas Gillhouse was mentioned in 1583. This provides evidence that the name was already in use by that time in the county of Warwickshire.
In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, various spellings of the name can be found in historical documents, such as Gillhouss, Gilhowse, and Gilhouse. These variations were common during that period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable historical figure bearing the Gillhouse surname was William Gillhouse, born in 1692 in Staffordshire, England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner who played a significant role in the local community. His son, John Gillhouse (1725-1803), followed in his footsteps and became a respected businessman and philanthropist.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Gillhouse (1745-1822), born in Cheshire, England. She was a renowned painter and portraitist, whose works were highly sought after by the nobility and wealthy patrons of her time.
In the late 18th century, the Gillhouse family had established themselves in various parts of England, including Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Robert Gillhouse (1760-1832) was a notable figure from this period, serving as a magistrate and landowner in Yorkshire.
The Gillhouse surname also has connections to place names in England. For instance, there is a village called Gilsland in Cumbria, which was formerly known as Gillesland or Gillisland, potentially sharing a similar linguistic root with the surname.
It is worth noting that the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and properties in England compiled in 1086, does not mention the Gillhouse surname directly. However, this is not surprising, as the name likely emerged several centuries after the Norman Conquest and the compilation of the Domesday Book.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gillhouse
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gillhouse 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 Gillhouse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 5
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gillhouse
Gillhouse 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,304 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,304 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,524 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 Gillhouse 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 | #144,141 | #148,665 | -3.1% |
| Count | 115 | 111 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gillhouse bearers went from 115 to 111 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #148,665.
FAQ
Gillhouse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gillhouse?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Gillhouse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Gillhouse?
Gillhouse ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Gillhouse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Gillhouse.
Has Gillhouse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gillhouse went from 115 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Gillhouse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillhouse, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Gillhouse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gillhouse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Hispanic (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.5%). 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 Gillhouse (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 Gillhouse mean?
A topographic surname likely denoting someone who lived near a hill house or remote cottage. 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 Gillhouse (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 share the surname Gillhouse?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.