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

Illies, 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 Illies surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Illies in America

Illies is the 67318th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Illies surname appeared 293 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 Illies.

We can also compare 2010 data for Illies 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 Illies

The surname Illies originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "ill" meaning evil or bad, and "ig" meaning island or dry ground. The name may have initially referred to someone who lived on a poor or infertile piece of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Illie". This census commissioned by William the Conqueror lists an individual by that name as a landowner in the county of Norfolk.

Over the centuries, various spellings emerged such as Illey, Illie, Illyes, and Illies. The surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England during the Middle Ages. It is believed some of the earliest bearers may have taken their name from places like Illey in Berkshire or Illsley in Bedfordshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Illies include John Illies, a merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich who lived in the early 15th century. Another John Illies was a farmer and landowner in the village of Harleston, Suffolk in the late 16th century. Robert Illies (1570-1632) was a renowned scholar and clergyman who served as the rector of Aldeburgh, Suffolk.

In the 17th century, Elizabeth Illies (1620-1692) was a pioneering educator who established one of the first schools for girls in London. Her cousin, Thomas Illies (1635-1705), was a respected lawyer and judge who presided over cases at the Old Bailey criminal court.

As the British Empire expanded, the surname Illies spread to various corners of the world. However, its deepest roots remain firmly entrenched in the rural communities of eastern England during the medieval and early modern periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Illies

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!