2000
#22,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,074
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Gilpatrick
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Gilpatric meaning "servant of Patrick".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,281 Americans carry the last name Gilpatrick. That puts it at #23,455 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 267,568 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gilpatrick 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
1.3K
1 in 267,568
Census rank
#23,455
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,117 bearers of the surname Gilpatrick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23455th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilpatrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gilpatrick
The surname Gilpatrick has its origins in Ireland, emerging during the Middle Ages. It derives from the Gaelic personal name "Giolla Phádraig," which translates to "servant of Patrick." This name was likely adopted by those who revered St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, or those who lived near a church dedicated to him.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In 1276, the name "Gilla Patraic" is mentioned, referring to an individual who held a prominent position within the Gaelic nobility.
The Gilpatrick surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Gilpatrick, Gilpatric, Gilpatridge, and Kilpatrick. These variations often reflect regional dialects or variations in spelling conventions over time.
In the 16th century, the name Gilpatrick appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of official records from the reign of the Tudor monarchs in England and Ireland. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname held positions of significance during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Gilpatrick include:
1. John Gilpatrick (c. 1610-1675), an Irish physician and astrologer who served as the personal physician to King Charles I of England.
2. Thomas Gilpatrick (1739-1816), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
3. Jane Gilpatrick (1791-1862), a Scottish-born American author and educator who founded one of the first female academies in the United States.
4. William Gilpatrick (1817-1892), an Irish-born architect and engineer who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, including the St. Patrick's Cathedral.
5. James Gilpatrick (1869-1944), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Gilpatrick Construction Company and was instrumental in developing infrastructure in the American West.
While the surname Gilpatrick has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to emigration and migration patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the Gaelic tradition and the reverence for St. Patrick in medieval Ireland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gilpatrick
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilpatrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gilpatrick 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 Gilpatrick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,003
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 58
- Two or more races3.0% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 8
- Black or African American0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gilpatrick
Gilpatrick 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
#23,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,068
-6 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 1,344 places
2020
#23,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,117
+49 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 259 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,370 | 1,074 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,714 | 1,068 | 0.36 | -6 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 1,344 places |
| 2020 | #23,455 | 1,117 | 0.37 | +49 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 259 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 Gilpatrick 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 | #23,714 | #23,455 | 1.1% |
| Count | 1,068 | 1,117 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.37 | 3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gilpatrick bearers went from 1,068 to 1,117 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 259 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,714 to #23,455.
FAQ
Gilpatrick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gilpatrick?
Name Census estimates that about 1,281 living Americans carry the surname Gilpatrick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 267,568 residents.
How common is Gilpatrick?
Gilpatrick ranks #23,455 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,117 people with the surname Gilpatrick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Gilpatrick.
Has Gilpatrick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gilpatrick went from 1,068 recorded bearers to 1,117. That is an increase of 49 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,714 to #23,455.
What does the Census say about the background of Gilpatrick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gilpatrick, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Gilpatrick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gilpatrick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Gilpatrick (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 Gilpatrick mean?
An Anglicized form of the Gaelic surname Gilpatric meaning "servant of Patrick". 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 Gilpatrick (0.37 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 Gilpatrick?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.