2000
#89,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Gillus
A rare surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a nickname or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 251 Americans carry the last name Gillus. That puts it at #90,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,365,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gillus 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.
Bearers in the US
251
1 in 1,365,555
Census rank
#90,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
219
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 219 bearers of the surname Gillus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gillus
The surname GILLUS is believed to have originated in Scotland during the early medieval period. It is thought to be a variation of the Gaelic name "Gille Iosa," which means "servant of Jesus." This name may have been adopted by someone who worked in the service of the church or a religious order.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GILLUS can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of parts of Scotland. The entry "Gillys de Balhelvy" likely refers to an early bearer of the GILLUS name from the area of Balhelvy, which was located in Aberdeenshire.
In the 14th century, a John Gillus is recorded as being a witness to a charter granted by King David II of Scotland in 1359. This suggests that the GILLUS family had achieved a certain level of prominence and respectability by this time.
The GILLUS name is also associated with several place names in Scotland. The village of Gillusmilnebog, located in East Ayrshire, may have been named after an early GILLUS landowner or resident. Similarly, the lands of Gilliespark in Dumfries and Galloway could have derived their name from a person bearing the GILLUS surname.
Notable individuals with the GILLUS surname throughout history include:
1. William Gillus (c. 1540-1612), a Scottish minister who served as the first Protestant minister of Ayr.
2. Robert Gillus (c. 1580-1645), a Scottish academic and philosopher who served as the Principal of St. Leonard's College, St. Andrews.
3. James Gillus (c. 1620-1675), a Scottish merchant and member of the Merchant Guild of Glasgow.
4. Alexander Gillus (1680-1758), a Scottish landowner and laird of the estate of Gilliesholm in Ayrshire.
5. Margaret Gillus (1725-1802), a Scottish botanist and naturalist who contributed to the study of local flora and fauna in Aberdeenshire.
While the GILLUS name may be less common today, its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in Scotland, where it was likely associated with religious service and later gained prominence as a respected surname among landowners, merchants, and scholars.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gillus
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gillus 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 Gillus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.4% · 209
- White2.7% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 3
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gillus
Gillus 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
#95,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
-3 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,783 places
2020
#90,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
+29 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 5,436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89,172 | 193 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #95,955 | 190 | 0.06 | -3 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 6,783 places |
| 2020 | #90,519 | 219 | 0.07 | +29 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 5,436 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 Gillus 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 | #95,955 | #90,519 | 5.7% |
| Count | 190 | 219 | 15.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 22.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gillus bearers went from 190 to 219 (+15.3% change). The surname moved up 5,436 positions in the national ranking, going from #95,955 to #90,519.
FAQ
Gillus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gillus?
Name Census estimates that about 251 living Americans carry the surname Gillus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,365,555 residents.
How common is Gillus?
Gillus ranks #90,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 219 people with the surname Gillus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (251), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gillus.
Has Gillus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gillus went from 190 recorded bearers to 219. That is an increase of 29 (+15.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #95,955 to #90,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Gillus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillus, the largest self-reported group is Black at 95.4%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Gillus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gillus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (95.4%), White (2.7%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Gillus (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 Gillus mean?
A rare surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a nickname or place name. 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 Gillus (0.07 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 surname Gillus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.