2000
#10,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,712
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Gillies
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Gille Iosa," meaning "servant of Jesus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,201 Americans carry the last name Gillies. That puts it at #10,903 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,077 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gillies 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 Gillies with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,077
Census rank
#10,903
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,791 bearers of the surname Gillies in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10903rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillies, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gillies
The surname Gillies has its origins in the Scottish Highlands, emerging in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Gille," meaning "servant" or "attendant," often combined with another element referring to a specific religious figure or patron saint.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gillies can be found in the Records of the Priory of the Isle of May, dated around 1380. This document mentions a certain "Gillecalum Gillies," indicating that the surname was already in use at that time.
In the 16th century, the Gillies clan was particularly prominent in the region of Argyll, with members serving as hereditary foresters to the powerful Campbell clan. Several Gillies individuals are recorded in the Book of the Dean of Lismore, a 16th-century manuscript that preserves Gaelic poetry and historical accounts from the Scottish Highlands.
A notable figure bearing the Gillies surname was John Gillies (1747-1836), a Scottish historian and writer. He authored works such as "View of the Reign of Frederick II of Prussia" and "History of Ancient Greece, Its Colonies and Conquests."
Another individual of note was John Gillies (1792-1834), a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a renowned explorer and surveyor in the Pacific Northwest region of North America.
In the 19th century, Archibald Gillies (1813-1897) was a Scottish-Australian politician and landowner who played a significant role in the early development of the colony of Victoria, serving as a member of the Legislative Council.
The name Gillies has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Gillies' Hill in Ayrshire and Gillies' Burn in Dumfries and Galloway, further reflecting the historical presence of the surname in different regions.
Throughout its history, the surname Gillies has maintained a strong connection to its Scottish Gaelic roots, often indicating a familial association with religious institutions or individuals of spiritual significance in the early days of the Scottish Highlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gillies
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillies, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gillies 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 Gillies surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 2,363
- Black or African American5.6% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 126
- Two or more races3.4% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gillies
Gillies 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
#11,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,820
+108 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 412 places
2020
#10,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,791
-29 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,797 | 2,712 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,209 | 2,820 | 0.96 | +108 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 412 places |
| 2020 | #10,903 | 2,791 | 0.93 | -29 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 306 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 Gillies 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 | #11,209 | #10,903 | 2.7% |
| Count | 2,820 | 2,791 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.93 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gillies bearers went from 2,820 to 2,791 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 306 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,209 to #10,903.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gillies
FAQ
Gillies surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gillies?
Name Census estimates that about 3,201 living Americans carry the surname Gillies. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,077 residents.
How common is Gillies?
Gillies ranks #10,903 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,791 people with the surname Gillies. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Gillies.
Has Gillies become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gillies went from 2,820 recorded bearers to 2,791. That is a decrease of 29 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,209 to #10,903.
What does the Census say about the background of Gillies?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gillies, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Gillies in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (2,363 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gillies appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (5.6%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Gillies (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 Gillies mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic "Gille Iosa," meaning "servant of Jesus." 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 Gillies (0.93 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 Gillies?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Gillies on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.