2000
#7,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,165
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.54
Rare Last name
Gillard
A French occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant of a nobleman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,386 Americans carry the last name Gillard. That puts it at #8,286 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gillard surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gillard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,147
Census rank
#8,286
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,825 bearers of the surname Gillard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8286th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (45.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gillard
The surname Gillard has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Gislhard, which is composed of the elements "gisel" meaning hostage and "hard" meaning hardy or brave. The name was introduced to England by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest records of the name Gillard can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Gislardus" and refers to landowners in various counties across England.
The surname Gillard is also associated with several place names in England, such as Gillard's Green in Essex and Gillard's Farm in Gloucestershire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Gillard who lived or owned land in those areas.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir John Gillard, a knight who fought in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 during the Second Barons' War. He was born around 1240 and died in the late 13th century.
Another prominent figure with the surname Gillard was Robert Gillard, an English clergyman and academic who lived in the 15th century. He was born in 1425 and served as the Warden of Merton College, Oxford, from 1483 until his death in 1498.
In the 16th century, William Gillard was a renowned English architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in London, including parts of the Charterhouse complex and St. Bartholomew's Hospital. He was born around 1520 and died in 1594.
During the 17th century, the name Gillard was also found in various parts of England. One notable bearer was Thomas Gillard, a merchant and landowner from Devon who was born in 1625 and died in 1702.
In the 18th century, John Gillard was a well-known English engraver and printmaker who was active in London from 1740 to 1780. He was particularly known for his engravings of landscapes and portraits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gillard
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (45.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gillard bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gillard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.8% · 1,791
- Black or African American45.0% · 1,723
- Two or more races3.8% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gillard
Gillard appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,099
-66 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 713 places
2020
#8,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,825
-274 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,376 | 4,165 | 1.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,089 | 4,099 | 1.39 | -66 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 713 places |
| 2020 | #8,286 | 3,825 | 1.28 | -274 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 197 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gillard surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,089 | #8,286 | -2.4% |
| Count | 4,099 | 3,825 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.39 | 1.28 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gillard bearers went from 4,099 to 3,825 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 197 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,089 to #8,286.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gillard
FAQ
Gillard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gillard?
Name Census estimates that about 4,386 living Americans carry the surname Gillard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,147 residents.
How common is Gillard?
Gillard ranks #8,286 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,825 people with the surname Gillard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,386), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gillard.
Has Gillard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gillard went from 4,099 recorded bearers to 3,825. That is a decrease of 274 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,089 to #8,286.
What does the Census say about the background of Gillard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.8%. The next largest groups are Black (45.0%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gillard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.8% (1,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gillard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.8%), Black (45.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gillard (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gillard mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant of a nobleman. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gillard (1.28 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Gillard?
Find out how many people have the last name Gillard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.