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

Guilfoyle, 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 Guilfoyle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guilfoyle in America

Guilfoyle is the 16427th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guilfoyle surname appeared 1,751 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 Guilfoyle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guilfoyle 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 Guilfoyle

The surname Guilfoyle has its origins in Ireland, where it is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Giolla Phóil. This name translates to "descendant of the servant of Paul", indicating that the name may have religious significance.

The name is believed to have originated in County Mayo, located in the west of Ireland. It first appeared in records during the 12th century, with early variations in spelling including O'Gilfoyle, O'Gylfoyle, and O'Gylfoill.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Annals of Loch Cé, a chronicle of Irish history compiled by monks in the 14th century. The annals mention a member of the Guilfoyle family, Gilla Póil Ó Giolla Phóil, who was killed in a battle in County Mayo in 1284.

In the 16th century, the Guilfoyle family was recorded as holding lands in the baronies of Clanmorris and Gallen in County Mayo. During this time, the name was also found in records from County Sligo, indicating that the family had spread to other areas of Ireland.

One notable figure in the history of the Guilfoyle name was Cathal Óg Ó Giolla Phóil, a poet and scholar who lived in the late 16th century. He was known for his works in both Irish and Latin, and his poems were included in the famous Irish manuscript collection known as the Leabhar Chlainne Suibhne.

Another prominent member of the Guilfoyle family was Brian Ó Giolla Phóil, a Catholic priest who lived in the late 17th century. He served as the Vicar General of the Diocese of Killala and was known for his efforts in preserving Irish language and culture during a time of oppression.

In the 19th century, many Guilfoyles emigrated from Ireland to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable Guilfoyle from this era was Michael Guilfoyle (1819-1897), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1882 to 1883.

Other historical figures with the surname Guilfoyle include Patrick Guilfoyle (1858-1929), an Irish-Australian horticulturist and botanist who worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, and William Guilfoyle (1869-1947), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guilfoyle

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

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

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

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