2000
#7,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.56
Rare Last name
Gillman
A surname referring to a fisherman or one who operates a fishing weir or gillnet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,561 Americans carry the last name Gillman. That puts it at #7,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,149 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gillman 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 Gillman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 75,149
Census rank
#7,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,977 bearers of the surname Gillman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gillman
The surname Gillman is of English origin, originating from the Middle English words "gill" meaning a ravine or deep glen, and "man" referring to a person. It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive surname for someone who lived in or near a ravine or deep valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Gilleman." This entry suggests the surname was already in use by the late 11th century, indicating its ancient roots.
During the medieval period, the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where many Gillman families were documented. The surname evolved over time, with various spellings such as Gilman, Gillman, and Gillman appearing in different regions.
Notable individuals bearing the Gillman surname include Sir Benjamin Gillman (1548-1621), an English merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London. Another prominent figure was John Gillman (1677-1748), a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of South Carolina from 1735 to 1737.
In the literary realm, James Gillman (1800-1881) was a notable English biographer and editor, best known for his work on the life and writings of Samuel Taylor Coleridge. William Gillman (1817-1878) was an English artist renowned for his landscape paintings, particularly those depicting the scenery of the Lake District.
Samuel Gillman (1832-1908) was a British naval architect and shipbuilder, responsible for designing several innovative vessels during the late 19th century. His contributions to the field earned him recognition and acclaim.
Throughout history, the Gillman surname has appeared in various records and documents, reflecting its longstanding presence in English society. While the name's origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, individuals bearing this surname have left their mark across diverse fields, from politics and administration to literature, art, and engineering.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gillman
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gillman 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 Gillman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,629
- Two or more races3.4% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 92
- Black or African American1.8% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gillman
Gillman 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
#7,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,334
+116 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#7,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,977
-357 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 325 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,285 | 4,218 | 1.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,663 | 4,334 | 1.47 | +116 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #7,988 | 3,977 | 1.33 | -357 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 325 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 Gillman 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 | #7,663 | #7,988 | -4.2% |
| Count | 4,334 | 3,977 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.33 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gillman bearers went from 4,334 to 3,977 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 325 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,663 to #7,988.
FAQ
Gillman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gillman?
Name Census estimates that about 4,561 living Americans carry the surname Gillman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,149 residents.
How common is Gillman?
Gillman ranks #7,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,977 people with the surname Gillman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,561), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Gillman.
Has Gillman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gillman went from 4,334 recorded bearers to 3,977. That is a decrease of 357 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,663 to #7,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Gillman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Gillman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,629 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gillman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Gillman (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 Gillman mean?
A surname referring to a fisherman or one who operates a fishing weir or gillnet. 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 Gillman (1.33 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 Gillman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.