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

Gilvin, 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 Gilvin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gilvin in America

Gilvin is the 51281st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gilvin surname appeared 406 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 Gilvin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gilvin 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 Gilvin

The surname Gilvin is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period, deriving from the Gaelic personal name "Gille Fhìnn" or "Gillivine," which means "servant of St. Finn" or "the fair-haired lad." The name likely referred to a fair-haired follower of the ancient Celtic missionary Saint Finden or Finnan.

The Gilvin surname can be traced back to the 13th century in Scotland, with early records showing variations in spelling such as Gilvin, Gilvine, Gilwine, and Gillivine. It was particularly prevalent in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, where several families bearing the name were recorded in historical documents.

One of the earliest known references to the Gilvin surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented Scottish landowners and nobility who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The Ragman Rolls listed several individuals with the surname Gilvin, indicating the name's presence in Scotland during the late 13th century.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Gilvin surname was John Gilvin, a Scottish theologian and Protestant reformer born around 1510. He played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation and was appointed as the first minister of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow.

Another notable individual was Robert Gilvin, a Scottish merchant and landowner born in the late 16th century. He was involved in trade ventures and owned several properties in the Ayrshire region.

During the 17th century, the Gilvin surname appeared in various parish records and historical documents across Scotland, indicating the continued presence and spread of the name.

One notable bearer of the Gilvin surname was James Gilvin, a Scottish minister and author born in 1625. He served as a minister in several parishes and published several works, including a treatise on Presbyterian church government.

In the 18th century, the Gilvin surname was found in various regions of Scotland, with families bearing the name residing in areas such as Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and the Scottish Borders.

A prominent figure from this era was William Gilvin, a Scottish philosopher and educator born in 1736. He served as a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow and published several works on ethics and moral philosophy.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Gilvin surname continued to be present in Scotland, with families bearing the name residing in various regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gilvin

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

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

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

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