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

Gillies, 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 Gillies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillies in America

Gillies is the 11209th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillies surname appeared 2,820 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 Gillies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillies 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 Gillies

The surname Gillies has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, emerging in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gille," meaning "servant" or "attendant," often combined with another element referring to a specific religious figure or patron saint.

One of the earliest known references to the name Gillies can be found in the Records of the Priory of the Isle of May, dated around 1380. This document mentions a certain "Gillecalum Gillies," indicating that the surname was already in use at that time.

In the 16th century, the Gillies clan was particularly prominent in the region of Argyll, with members serving as hereditary foresters to the powerful Campbell clan. Several Gillies individuals are recorded in the Book of the Dean of Lismore, a 16th-century manuscript that preserves Gaelic poetry and historical accounts from the Scottish Highlands.

A notable figure bearing the Gillies surname was John Gillies (1747-1836), a Scottish historian and writer. He authored works such as "View of the Reign of Frederick II of Prussia" and "History of Ancient Greece, Its Colonies and Conquests."

Another individual of note was John Gillies (1792-1834), a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned explorer and surveyor in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.

In the 19th century, Archibald Gillies (1813-1897) was a Scottish-Australian politician and landowner who played a significant role in the early development of the colony of Victoria, serving as a member of the Legislative Council.

The name Gillies has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Gillies' Hill in Ayrshire and Gillies' Burn in Dumfries and Galloway, further reflecting the historical presence of the surname in different regions.

Throughout its history, the surname Gillies has maintained a strong connection to its Scottish Gaelic roots, often indicating a familial association with religious institutions or individuals of spiritual significance in the early days of the Scottish Highlands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillies

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

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

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

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