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

Guilliams, 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 Guilliams surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guilliams in America

Guilliams is the 15363rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guilliams surname appeared 1,909 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 Guilliams.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guilliams 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 Guilliams

The surname Guilliams is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the name Williams, which itself derives from the Old French "Willaume" and the Old German "Wilhelm" or "Willahelm," meaning "will" and "helmet."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Guilliams surname appears in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, a collection of financial records from the late 12th century, where a person named Robert Guilliams is mentioned. The name is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a John Guilliams as a taxpayer.

In the 14th century, the Guilliams surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, suggesting that the name may have originated in that region of the West Midlands. Some historical records from this period also indicate variations in spelling, such as Guillems, Guilliams, and Gilliams.

Notably, a John Guilliams (born around 1460) is recorded as having been a Member of Parliament for the borough of Lyme Regis in Dorset during the reign of King Henry VII. Another notable figure was Sir John Guilliams (1545-1625), a lawyer and judge who served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer during the reign of King James I.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Guilliams surname appears to have spread across various parts of England, with records indicating individuals bearing the name in areas like Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, and Devon. One example is Thomas Guilliams (1575-1655), a prominent Puritan minister who served as the vicar of Trent in Somerset.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Guilliams surname was also found in various parts of the American colonies, likely carried over by English immigrants. One notable figure was James Guilliams (1717-1788), a prosperous merchant and landowner in Virginia who served as a justice of the peace and a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War.

As the centuries progressed, the Guilliams surname continued to be present in various regions, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, including politics, law, religion, and commerce. While the spelling may have evolved over time, the name's origins can be traced back to its English roots in the medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guilliams

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

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

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

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