NameCensus.

UK surname

Gillings

A surname derived from a place name meaning "from the dwellings", referring to someone who lived near cottages or small houses.

In the 1881 census there were 712 people recorded with the Gillings surname, ranking it #5,107 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 865, ranked #6,483, down from #5,107 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Debenham and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Lindsey, Dacorum and Cambridge.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gillings is 1,145 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 21.5%.

1881 census count

712

Ranked #5,107

Modern count

865

2016, ranked #6,483

Peak year

1911

1,145 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gillings had 712 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #5,107 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 865 in 2016, ranked #6,483.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,145 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Gillings surname distribution map

The map shows where the Gillings surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Gillings surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gillings over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 388 #6,190
1861 historical 470 #5,522
1881 historical 712 #5,107
1891 historical 857 #4,780
1901 historical 1,036 #4,616
1911 historical 1,145 #4,080
1997 modern 974 #5,617
1998 modern 1,004 #5,660
1999 modern 991 #5,754
2000 modern 982 #5,783
2001 modern 951 #5,814
2002 modern 983 #5,781
2003 modern 939 #5,886
2004 modern 927 #5,940
2005 modern 891 #6,072
2006 modern 897 #6,063
2007 modern 906 #6,057
2008 modern 886 #6,206
2009 modern 911 #6,201
2010 modern 917 #6,297
2011 modern 907 #6,288
2012 modern 879 #6,360
2013 modern 896 #6,362
2014 modern 902 #6,364
2015 modern 878 #6,430
2016 modern 865 #6,483

Geography

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Where Gillings' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Debenham and Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Lindsey, Dacorum, Cambridge, Tendring and Great Yarmouth. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Debenham Suffolk
4 Coventry Holy Trinity (incl. Radford), Coventry St Michael, Wyken Warwickshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Lindsey 010 East Lindsey
2 Dacorum 011 Dacorum
3 Cambridge 006 Cambridge
4 Tendring 003 Tendring
5 Great Yarmouth 013 Great Yarmouth

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gillings

These lists show first names that appear often with the Gillings surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gillings

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gillings, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Gillings surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Gillings household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Gillings is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gillings is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gillings falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gillings is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Gillings, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Gillings

The surname Gillings has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. The name is believed to be a locational surname derived from the Old English words "gyl" meaning a ravine or deep valley, and "ingas" which was a common suffix denoting a place or settlement. This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived in or came from a place near a ravine or deep valley.

Gillings is found in several early English records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholdings and properties after the Norman Conquest. The name appears in various forms such as Gyllyng, Gyllinges, and Gillinges in this important historical document.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gillings can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1166, where a person named Robert de Gillinges is mentioned. Another early reference is from the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279, which lists a William de Gyllinges.

The Gillings surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Gillings in Oxfordshire and Gillings Moor in Staffordshire. These place names likely influenced the development and spread of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Gillings throughout history include John Gillings (1565-1635), an English clergyman and author who wrote a commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Gillings (1631-1675), an English engraver and publisher known for his etchings of biblical scenes.

In the 18th century, we find William Gillings (1706-1784), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of navigation and celestial mechanics. Samuel Gillings (1735-1806) was an English engraver and artist known for his landscape etchings and illustrations.

A more recent figure was Arthur Gillings (1891-1968), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Regent Palace Hotel and the former headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gillings families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gillings surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 122 Gillings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.77x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 122 1.77x
Suffolk 109 12.99x
Yorkshire 109 1.60x
Norfolk 83 7.84x
Surrey 65 1.94x
Warwickshire 48 2.76x
Durham 35 1.71x
Lincolnshire 28 2.54x
Lancashire 22 0.27x
Essex 15 1.10x
Kent 10 0.43x
Northamptonshire 10 1.54x
Cambridgeshire 7 1.60x
Gloucestershire 7 0.52x
Huntingdonshire 6 4.39x
Glamorgan 4 0.33x
Hertfordshire 4 0.84x
Somerset 4 0.36x
Staffordshire 4 0.17x
Sussex 4 0.34x
Devon 3 0.21x
Shropshire 2 0.34x
Cornwall 1 0.13x
Cumberland 1 0.17x
Derbyshire 1 0.09x
Leicestershire 1 0.13x
Wiltshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Great Yarmouth in Norfolk leads with 48 Gillings' recorded in 1881 and an index of 54.73x.

Place Total Index
Great Yarmouth 48 54.73x
Rothwell 34 246.73x
Debenham 27 971.22x
Newington 25 9.83x
Dunchurch 19 801.69x
Islington London 18 2.70x
Upton With Fishley 16 1269.84x
St Marylebone London 14 3.81x
Southwold 12 241.94x
Camberwell 11 2.50x
Coventry St Michael 11 19.72x
Lound 11 1057.69x
Mile End Old Town London 11 7.50x
Bermondsey 10 4.88x
Bilton 10 250.00x
Ashby With Oby 9 3600.00x
Bishop Auckland 9 32.74x
Boston 9 26.94x
Hackney London 9 2.33x
Kensington London 9 2.35x
St Pancras London 9 1.62x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 8 32.28x
Bromley London 8 5.28x
Finchley 8 30.30x
Gorleston 8 37.54x
Lambeth 8 1.33x
Stockley 8 307.69x
Wetwang 8 544.22x
East Heslerton 7 972.22x
Peterborough 7 14.93x
Stranton 7 10.15x
West Ham 7 2.33x
Aspall 6 1578.95x
Fylingdales 6 176.47x
Gateshead 6 3.91x
Ipswich St Mathew 6 25.52x
Manchester 6 1.63x
Ramsholt 6 1818.18x
South Mimms 6 63.56x
St Andrewthe Less 6 12.04x
St Gilesin Fields London 6 102.92x
Woolwich 6 6.91x
Ashby 5 1923.08x
Bristol St Paul In 5 13.90x
Bucknall 5 632.91x
Everton 5 1.92x
Fletton 5 114.42x
Godstone 5 83.19x
Holy Trinity 5 3.05x
Kenton 5 833.33x
South Walsham St Lawrence 5 925.93x
Washington 5 58.21x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 4 6.29x
Bicker 4 235.29x
Copdock 4 526.32x
Heybridge 4 101.27x
Horsham 4 17.73x
Hulme 4 2.34x
Leeds 4 1.04x
Newsham With 4 800.00x
Poplar London 4 3.08x
Swansea Town 4 4.07x
Thornhill 4 20.09x
Thorpe In Wakefield 4 2352.94x
Tipton 4 5.62x
Watford 4 10.87x
Weston 4 201.01x
Acton 3 7.43x
Ardwick 3 4.07x
Bowling 3 4.44x
Caytn Deepdal Kilrby 3 208.33x
Handsworth 3 16.63x
Heveningham 3 405.41x
Hopton 3 144.93x
Oulton 3 106.01x
Sproughton 3 204.08x
St George Hanover Square 3 2.47x
St Martin In Fields 3 7.28x
Thurlaston 3 384.62x
Norwich St Peter Hungate 2 219.78x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Gillings surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 33
Elizabeth 30
Sarah 21
Louisa 16
Jane 15
Ann 11
Eliza 11
Emma 11
Hannah 11
Caroline 9
Ellen 9
Alice 8
Annie 8
Charlotte 8
Emily 8
Martha 7
Clara 6
Jessie 6
Margaret 6
Ada 5
Florence 5
Anna 4
Anne 4
Fanny 4
Harriett 4
Henrietta 4
Isabella 4
Lucy 4
Susannah 4
Edith 3
Esther 3
Harriet 3
Rosina 3
Amelia 2
Ealenor 2
Eleanor 2
Ethel 2
Kate 2
Laura 2
Mabel 2
Maria 2
Mercy 2
Minnie 2
Rachel 2
Rose 2
Susan 2
Carlotte 1
Elizebet 1
Elizth.M. 1
Hilda 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Gillings surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 56
John 39
James 28
George 24
Charles 19
Edward 19
Thomas 19
Arthur 12
Robert 12
Henry 11
Alfred 9
Frederick 8
Joseph 8
Samuel 8
Walter 8
Albert 6
Herbert 5
David 4
Benjamin 3
Daniel 3
Francis 3
Richard 3
Alexander 2
Edgar 2
Ernest 2
Harry 2
Isaac 2
Philip 2
Wiliam 2
Alfd.James 1
Andrew 1
Benjamine 1
Bertie 1
Chearry 1
Christopher 1
Emily 1
Evan 1
Frank 1
Frederic 1
Geo. 1
Johnson 1
Jonathan 1
Louise 1
Michael 1
Moses 1
Noah 1
Percy 1
Richd. 1
Robt.W. 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Gillings surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gillings surname in 1881?

In 1881, 712 people were recorded with the Gillings surname. That placed it at #5,107 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gillings surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 865 in 2016. That gives Gillings a modern rank of #6,483.

What does the Gillings surname mean?

A surname derived from a place name meaning "from the dwellings", referring to someone who lived near cottages or small houses.

What does the Gillings map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gillings bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.