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

Gillings, 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 Gillings surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gillings in America

Gillings is the 49365th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gillings surname appeared 426 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gillings.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gillings 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 Gillings

The surname Gillings has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. The name is believed to be a locational surname derived from the Old English words "gyl" meaning a ravine or deep valley, and "ingas" which was a common suffix denoting a place or settlement. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in or came from a place near a ravine or deep valley.

Gillings is found in several early English records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholdings and properties after the Norman Conquest. The name appears in various forms such as Gyllyng, Gyllinges, and Gillinges in this important historical document.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gillings can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1166, where a person named Robert de Gillinges is mentioned. Another early reference is from the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279, which lists a William de Gyllinges.

The Gillings surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Gillings in Oxfordshire and Gillings Moor in Staffordshire. These place names likely influenced the development and spread of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Gillings throughout history include John Gillings (1565-1635), an English clergyman and author who wrote a commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Gillings (1631-1675), an English engraver and publisher known for his etchings of biblical scenes.

In the 18th century, we find William Gillings (1706-1784), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of navigation and celestial mechanics. Samuel Gillings (1735-1806) was an English engraver and artist known for his landscape etchings and illustrations.

A more recent figure was Arthur Gillings (1891-1968), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Regent Palace Hotel and the former headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gillings

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

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

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

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