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

Gilmartin, 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 Gilmartin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilmartin in America

Gilmartin is the 11062nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilmartin surname appeared 2,872 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 Gilmartin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilmartin 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 Gilmartin

The surname Gilmartin originated in Ireland, deriving from the Gaelic personal name "Gilmartain" or "Gilmartan." This name is a combination of the elements "Gil," meaning "bright" or "servant," and "Martain," which is derived from the Latin name "Martinus," meaning "of Mars" or "warlike."

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in County Sligo, where it was associated with the Ui Briuin sept, a branch of the larger Connacht dynasty. The name was prominent in this region, particularly in the baronies of Carbury and Leyny.

In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Fearghal Óg Gilmartin, who was a chieftain of the Ui Briuin sept in County Sligo. He played a significant role in the Nine Years' War (1593-1603) against English forces.

Another historical figure was Malachy Gilmartin (c. 1625-1679), an Irish Franciscan friar who served as the Bishop of Ardagh in County Longford from 1670 until his death. He was known for his efforts in promoting Catholic education and preserving religious heritage during a period of religious persecution.

In the 18th century, John Gilmartin (1725-1799) was a prominent Irish landowner and politician from County Mayo. He served as a Member of the Irish Parliament for the constituency of Sligo Borough from 1761 to 1768.

Moving to the 19th century, William Gilmartin (1808-1870) was an Irish-born architect who immigrated to the United States and designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Old Metropolitan Opera House and the former New York World Building.

Another notable bearer of the name was Charles Gilmartin (1856-1924), an Irish-American politician who served as the 39th Mayor of Syracuse, New York, from 1908 to 1912.

The surname Gilmartin has also been recorded with various spelling variations over time, including Gilmarten, Gilmartyn, Kilmartin, and Kilmartyn, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic adaptations across different parts of Ireland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilmartin

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

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

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

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