2000
#5,749
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,519
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.05
Rare Last name
Gilligan
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Giollagáin, meaning "descendant of the servant of St. John."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,384 Americans carry the last name Gilligan. That puts it at #5,959 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,690 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilligan 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 Gilligan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,690
Census rank
#5,959
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,567 bearers of the surname Gilligan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5959th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilligan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gilligan
The surname Gilligan is an Anglicized form of the ancient Irish name O'Gilligan, derived from the Gaelic "giolla" meaning "servant" or "lad". It originated in County Sligo, Ireland, where the clan held territories during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, dating back to the 13th century. It mentions a "Gilligan O'Gilligan" who was a chieftain in County Sligo around 1275.
In the 16th century, during the Tudor conquest of Ireland, many Irish families were dispossessed of their lands and sought refuge in other parts of the country or abroad. This led to the spread of the Gilligan name throughout Ireland and eventually to other parts of the British Isles.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Gilligan, a soldier and statesman who served as Lord Lieutenant of County Sligo in the early 17th century. He played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653) and was ultimately executed by the English Parliament in 1652.
Another historical figure with the Gilligan surname was Reverend John Gilligan, a Catholic priest born in County Sligo in 1738. He was a prominent educator and founded several schools in Ireland during the late 18th century.
In the 19th century, many Gilligans immigrated to North America, Australia, and other parts of the world, fleeing poverty and famine in Ireland. One of the earliest recorded Gilligans in the United States was Patrick Gilligan, who arrived in New York in 1817 from County Sligo.
Other notable Gilligans throughout history include:
1. Eugene Gilligan (1878-1966), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist in New York City.
2. James Gilligan (1917-2003), an American psychiatrist and author known for his work on violence prevention.
3. Andrew Gilligan (born 1968), a British journalist and broadcaster who played a central role in the BBC's coverage of the Iraq War.
4. Carol Gilligan (born 1936), an American feminist and psychologist known for her work on ethical development.
5. Vince Gilligan (born 1967), an American writer, producer, and director, best known for creating the critically acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilligan
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilligan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilligan 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 Gilligan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 5,179
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 165
- Two or more races2.7% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 39
- Black or African American0.3% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilligan
Gilligan 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
#5,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,257
+738 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Up 192 places
2020
#5,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,567
-690 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Down 402 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,749 | 5,519 | 2.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,557 | 6,257 | 2.12 | +738 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 192 places |
| 2020 | #5,959 | 5,567 | 1.86 | -690 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 402 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 Gilligan 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 | #5,557 | #5,959 | -7.2% |
| Count | 6,257 | 5,567 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 1.86 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilligan bearers went from 6,257 to 5,567 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 402 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,557 to #5,959.
FAQ
Gilligan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilligan?
Name Census estimates that about 6,384 living Americans carry the surname Gilligan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,690 residents.
How common is Gilligan?
Gilligan ranks #5,959 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,567 people with the surname Gilligan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,384), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gilligan.
Has Gilligan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilligan went from 6,257 recorded bearers to 5,567. That is a decrease of 690 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,557 to #5,959.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilligan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilligan, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gilligan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (5,179 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilligan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gilligan (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 Gilligan mean?
Derived from the Irish surname Ó Giollagáin, meaning "descendant of the servant of St. John." 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 Gilligan (1.86 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 have the last name Gilligan?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Gilligan on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.