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

Ill, 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 Ill surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ill in America

Ill is the 62714th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ill surname appeared 319 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 Ill.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ill 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 Ill

The surname "Ill" is an English name believed to have originated in the late 12th century in the county of Gloucestershire. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "yll" or "ylle," meaning "ill" or "evil." The name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a poor or unpleasant disposition.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named "Henricus Ille" is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the Middle Ages.

In the 13th century, the name is found in various spellings, such as "Ille," "Ylle," and "Ille de Bradewelle," which likely referred to a person named Ill from Bradwell, a village in Gloucestershire.

One notable early bearer of the name was John Ill, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in several historical records of the time, including the Bristol Plea Rolls from 1379.

Another significant figure with the surname was Thomas Ill, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry from Gloucestershire in the 15th century. He is recorded as holding lands in the village of Kemerton in 1442.

In the 16th century, the surname appears in various parish records and court documents throughout Gloucestershire and neighboring counties. One example is William Ill, a yeoman from the village of Stinchcombe, mentioned in the Gloucestershire Muster Roll of 1542.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Captain Henry Ill, who fought for the Royalist cause under King Charles I. He is mentioned in several accounts of the conflict, including the siege of Gloucester in 1643.

The surname also spread to other parts of England, and by the 18th century, it could be found in various regions. One example is John Ill, a wealthy merchant and ship owner from the port town of Whitby in Yorkshire, who lived from 1712 to 1786.

Throughout its history, the surname "Ill" has been associated with various occupations, from merchants and landowners to yeomen and military officers, reflecting the diverse social strata that bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ill

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

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

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

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