The Gilliam surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 29,414 people carried this name — #1,204 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,000 people counted. That is up 5% from 28,075 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gilliam surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From a medieval variant of the given name William.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gilliam» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of William’.

An early record he cites: Petrus Gillam, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Gillam, Gilliam and Gillham.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 317 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

64 families named Gilliam, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 354 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 7 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 19
North Carolina 19
South Carolina 12
Pennsylvania 9
Maryland 3
Connecticut 1
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 242 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Gilliam in American newspapers,
1923.

Newspaper page from The Indianapolis Times carrying the name Gilliam
The Indianapolis Times 1923-10-25
Newspaper page from New Britain Herald carrying the name Gilliam
New Britain Herald 1923-10-25
Newspaper page from South Bend News-times carrying the name Gilliam
South Bend News-times 1923-10-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Gilliam in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1970s.

2,359 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gilliam. The most, 813, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 780
Queensland 581
New South Wales 448
Western Australia 221
Tasmania 206
South Australia 111
ACT (Canberra) 5
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gilliam.

Who carried it

People named Gilliam,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Gilliam
    William Gilliam 1841–1893 · politician
  • Donnell Gilliam
    Donnell Gilliam 1889–1960 · judge
  • Cornelius Gilliam 1798–1848 · politician
  • Robert B. Gilliam 1805–1870 · judge
  • William Gilliam 1809–1891
  • Henry A. Gilliam 1819–1891 · lawyer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gilliam,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,586 records

1,586 records of the Gilliam name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,017
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 419
  • Other U.S. records 150
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard Gilliam

    Born 1950; from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Marine Corps, field artillery fire control man; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert B. Gilliam

    Born 1916 in California. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Lewis, Washington; bookkeeper. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1959, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Fredrick Gilliam

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the Queen from London and Plymouth, aged 23; traveler. From London; bound for Brooklyn.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,586 records for Gilliam in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands50 records

50 records of the Gilliam name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 31
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 10
  • Dutch population registers 9
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johann Gilliam

    Married in 1910 in Kerkrade; miner. Died 1948 in Kerkrade, aged 64.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Cornelia Madelaine Gilliam

    Born 1811 in Poortvliet. Married in 1843 in Poortvliet; of private means.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johanna Maria Gilliam

    Died 1813 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 50 records for Gilliam in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia48 records

48 records of the Gilliam name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 28
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 7
  • Other Australian records 13
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Celia Gilliam

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Henry Wellesley, arriving 1837; ticket of leave 1842.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Gilliam

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Prince Alfred, aged 39; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George F. Gilliam

    Former dealer of Ballarat, Victoria; died 1941.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 48 records for Gilliam in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Germany14 records

14 records of the Gilliam name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Gilliam

    From Pannerheide, Aachen. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 24 March 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 25).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Marthias Gilliam

    From Aachen. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 12 May 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 166).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Matthias Gilliam

    From Aachen. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 26 June 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Gilliam in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Gilliam name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 5
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Albert Michael Gilliam

    Died 1940 in North Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Annie Gilliam

    Died 1930; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Julia Gilliam

    Married 1909 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 6 records for Gilliam in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Gilliam name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. J. Gilliam

    Bedfordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Gilliam

    Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Gilliam in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gilliam.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gilliam is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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