2000
#8,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,461
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Gilliard
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "small village" or "estate of Gilles."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,277 Americans carry the last name Gilliard. That puts it at #8,486 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilliard 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gilliard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,139
Census rank
#8,486
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,730 bearers of the surname Gilliard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8486th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilliard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (23.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gilliard
The surname Gilliard originated in France and is derived from the medieval French given name Gillard or Giliard. These names stem from the Old German word "Gisilhard," which means "brave with the spear." The earliest recorded examples of the Gilliard surname date back to the 12th century in Normandy, France.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Gilliard name was Renaud Gilliard, a Norman knight who fought in the Crusades during the late 12th century. The name also appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror.
During the Middle Ages, the Gilliard surname was prominent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. The name was often associated with nobility and landowners, with many Gilliard families holding fiefs and estates in these areas.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Gilliard family settled in the French province of Anjou. Jean Gilliard (1325-1392) was a notable figure from this lineage, serving as a magistrate and legal advisor to the Count of Anjou.
Another prominent individual bearing the Gilliard name was Pierre Gilliard (1679-1748), a French philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on the concept of natural law and its relationship with divine revelation.
As the centuries progressed, the Gilliard surname spread across France and into other parts of Europe. One notable example is Georg Gilliard (1822-1901), a Swiss-born artist and painter who became renowned for his landscape paintings of the Swiss Alps.
In the 19th century, the Gilliard name gained recognition in military circles. Émile Gilliard (1841-1915) was a French general who served with distinction in the Franco-Prussian War and later became a renowned military strategist and writer.
Overall, the Gilliard surname has a rich history rooted in medieval France, with various branches of the family achieving prominence in various fields throughout the centuries. The name's origins can be traced back to the Old German word "Gisilhard," reflecting its association with bravery and valor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilliard
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilliard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (23.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilliard 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 Gilliard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.6% · 2,520
- White23.3% · 868
- Two or more races5.0% · 188
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilliard
Gilliard 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
#7,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,198
+737 bearers (+21.3%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 856 places
2020
#8,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,730
-468 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 601 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,741 | 3,461 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,885 | 4,198 | 1.42 | +737 bearers (+21.3%) | Up 856 places |
| 2020 | #8,486 | 3,730 | 1.25 | -468 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 601 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 Gilliard 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 | #7,885 | #8,486 | -7.6% |
| Count | 4,198 | 3,730 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.25 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilliard bearers went from 4,198 to 3,730 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 601 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,885 to #8,486.
FAQ
Gilliard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilliard?
Name Census estimates that about 4,277 living Americans carry the surname Gilliard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,139 residents.
How common is Gilliard?
Gilliard ranks #8,486 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,730 people with the surname Gilliard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,277), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gilliard.
Has Gilliard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilliard went from 4,198 recorded bearers to 3,730. That is a decrease of 468 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,885 to #8,486.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilliard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilliard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 67.6%. The next largest groups are White (23.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gilliard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (2,520 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilliard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (67.6%), White (23.3%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Gilliard (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 Gilliard mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "small village" or "estate of Gilles." 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 Gilliard (1.25 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 Gilliard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.