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

Gillian, 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 Gillian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillian in America

Gillian is the 14274th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillian surname appeared 2,098 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 Gillian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillian 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 Gillian

The surname Gillian originates from the Gaelic personal names Gille and Gillies, which mean "servant of" or "follower of." These names were commonly used in medieval Scotland and Ireland to refer to someone who was a servant or follower of a particular saint or church.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Gillian dates back to the 12th century in Scotland. It was often spelled as Gillemichel, Gillefalyn, or Gillecolm, which were derived from the Gaelic names Gille Mìcheil (servant of St. Michael), Gille Fhalain (servant of St. Fillan), and Gille Calum (servant of St. Columba).

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various medieval Scottish records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Ragman Rolls, which recorded those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. Some notable early bearers of the name included Gillemor le Gilliselou (1296) and Gillemichel mac Nathiline (1296).

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the surname spread to other parts of Scotland and Ireland, with various spellings like Gillian, Gillion, and Gillyon. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gillian spelling is found in the Bute Rentals of 1505, which mentions a person named John Gillian.

In the 16th century, the surname Gillian became more widespread in Scotland, particularly in the Highlands and Islands. One notable bearer of the name was John Gillian (c. 1565-1630), a Scottish minister who served as the Bishop of Dunblane.

Other historical figures with the surname Gillian include:

1. Alister Gillian (c. 1600-1670), a Scottish soldier who fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
2. James Gillian (c. 1650-1720), a Scottish landowner and merchant from Ayrshire.
3. Elizabeth Gillian (c. 1680-1745), a Scottish poet and writer from Aberdeen.
4. William Gillian (c. 1720-1790), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh.
5. Margaret Gillian (c. 1790-1860), a Scottish author and educator from Inverness.

The surname Gillian is also found in various place names across Scotland, such as Gillianfield in Ayrshire and Gilliantown in Fife, which may have been derived from individuals bearing the name who lived or owned land in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillian

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

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

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

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