NameCensus.

UK surname

Gillon

A surname derived from the given name Gilles, a French form of Giles.

In the 1881 census there were 761 people recorded with the Gillon surname, ranking it #4,855 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,429, ranked #4,282, up from #4,855 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Monkland, Bothwell and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Pather, Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South and Lancaster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gillon is 1,483 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 87.8%.

1881 census count

761

Ranked #4,855

Modern count

1,429

2016, ranked #4,282

Peak year

2010

1,483 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gillon had 761 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,855 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,429 in 2016, ranked #4,282.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 980 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Gillon surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gillon surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gillon 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 522 #4,805
1861 historical 639 #4,192
1881 historical 761 #4,855
1891 historical 857 #4,780
1901 historical 980 #4,838
1911 historical 340 #10,490
1997 modern 1,329 #4,324
1998 modern 1,371 #4,345
1999 modern 1,365 #4,403
2000 modern 1,364 #4,393
2001 modern 1,344 #4,351
2002 modern 1,390 #4,317
2003 modern 1,356 #4,328
2004 modern 1,363 #4,322
2005 modern 1,357 #4,296
2006 modern 1,401 #4,189
2007 modern 1,409 #4,209
2008 modern 1,426 #4,200
2009 modern 1,443 #4,236
2010 modern 1,483 #4,224
2011 modern 1,448 #4,255
2012 modern 1,419 #4,261
2013 modern 1,420 #4,322
2014 modern 1,438 #4,306
2015 modern 1,424 #4,299
2016 modern 1,429 #4,282

Geography

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Where Gillons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around New Monkland, Bothwell, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Bathgate. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Pather, Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South, Lancaster, Carfin and Cleekhimin and Wishaw South. 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 New Monkland Lanark
2 Bothwell Lanark
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Bathgate Linlithgow

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Pather North Lanarkshire
2 Ayr North Harbour, Wallacetown and Newton South South Ayrshire
3 Lancaster 011 Lancaster
4 Carfin and Cleekhimin North Lanarkshire
5 Wishaw South North Lanarkshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gillon

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gillon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gillon, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Gillon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Gillon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Gillon is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Gillon is most concentrated in decile 1 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Gillon falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Gillon is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Gillon

The surname Gillon is of French origin and is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy during the medieval period. It is thought to be a habitational name derived from the place name Guilon, which in turn is derived from the Gaulish personal name Gwilo.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Gillon can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as Guillun. This suggests that the name had already been established in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

In the 12th century, a record exists of a Gillon de Trazegnies, who was a knight and lord of Trazegnies in the county of Hainaut, which is now part of Belgium. This indicates that the name had spread from Normandy to other parts of northern France and the Low Countries.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Gillon, a Scottish soldier and knight who fought in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. He was a supporter of Robert the Bruce and played a pivotal role in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

In the 16th century, a French Huguenot named Jean Gillon fled religious persecution in France and settled in Scotland, where his descendants became prominent members of the Scottish gentry. One of his descendants, Robert Gillon, was a successful merchant and shipowner in the 18th century.

During the Renaissance period, a Flemish painter named Gillon Gillain (c. 1550-1615) gained recognition for his religious and mythological works, which can be found in various churches and museums in Belgium and the Netherlands.

In the 19th century, an American businessman and philanthropist named Alexander Gillon (1829-1899) made a significant fortune in the tobacco industry and used his wealth to establish several educational institutions, including the Gillon Free School in South Carolina.

The name Gillon has also been associated with several place names, such as Gillon in Meuse, France, and Gillon Burn in Scotland, suggesting that it may have been used as a locational surname in some cases.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gillon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gillon 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. Lanarkshire leads with 283 Gillons recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.71x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 283 11.71x
Midlothian 117 11.69x
Lancashire 77 0.87x
West Lothian 47 41.77x
Northumberland 26 2.34x
Renfrewshire 23 3.97x
Yorkshire 21 0.28x
Warwickshire 17 0.90x
Ayrshire 15 2.68x
Durham 14 0.63x
Middlesex 14 0.19x
East Lothian 13 13.14x
Worcestershire 12 1.23x
Argyllshire 11 5.29x
Angus 9 1.30x
Hampshire 9 0.59x
Morayshire 9 7.75x
Kent 7 0.27x
Surrey 7 0.19x
Cheshire 5 0.30x
Perthshire 5 1.49x
Aberdeenshire 3 0.43x
Essex 3 0.20x
Stirlingshire 3 1.09x
Fife 2 0.45x
Buteshire 1 2.21x
Caithness 1 0.98x
Isle of Man 1 0.72x
Norfolk 1 0.09x
Peeblesshire 1 2.85x
Selkirkshire 1 1.48x
Sussex 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Govan in Lanarkshire leads with 55 Gillons recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.20x.

Place Total Index
Govan 55 9.20x
Barony 41 6.70x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 40 9.93x
Old Monkland 39 40.67x
Bothwell 32 48.83x
Glasgow 29 6.76x
Bathgate 24 98.24x
Hamilton 21 31.16x
West Calder 21 106.44x
Dalserf 17 70.51x
Whitburn 17 104.55x
South Leith 16 14.20x
Widnes 16 25.02x
Liverpool 14 2.60x
North Leith 12 25.91x
Birmingham 11 1.75x
New Monkland 10 14.00x
West Derby 10 3.86x
Cathcart 9 28.73x
Dalkeith 9 45.57x
East Chevington 9 243.24x
Dibden 8 620.16x
Dirleton 8 205.66x
Eastwood 8 22.43x
Forres 8 65.57x
Gorbals 8 55.79x
Great Bolton 8 6.81x
Bradford 7 3.91x
Carnwath 7 46.85x
Dudley 7 5.90x
Lambeth 7 1.07x
St Quivox 7 37.02x
Aston 6 1.16x
Dundee 6 2.32x
Ratho 6 128.48x
Beaghall 5 581.40x
Blantyre 5 19.87x
Campbeltown 5 19.93x
Cowpen 5 19.53x
Dunbar 5 36.02x
Gillingham 5 9.51x
Linlithgow 5 34.65x
Maryhill 5 10.57x
Maybole 5 29.36x
Newcastle On Tyne St 5 8.68x
Southend 5 204.92x
Abbey 4 4.53x
Kings Norton 4 4.57x
Lancaster 4 7.58x
Litherland 4 21.58x
Bowdon 3 45.80x
Dalziel 3 11.54x
Edinburgh Old 3 49.42x
Great Warley 3 89.82x
Hackney London 3 0.72x
Manchester 3 0.75x
Perth St Pauls 3 38.61x
Rutherglen 3 8.46x
Shotts 3 10.37x
Southwick 3 14.25x
Westleigh 3 14.90x
Chirton 2 7.95x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 2 8.45x
Edinburgh St Johns 2 31.65x
Elswick 2 2.25x
Falkirk 2 3.10x
Hartlepool 2 6.33x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 2 2.08x
Islington London 2 0.28x
Kensington London 2 0.48x
Lasswade 2 8.74x
Leeds 2 0.48x
Melling 2 97.56x
Middlesbrough 2 2.07x
Preston 2 0.84x
Radcliffe 2 4.68x
Sheffield 2 0.85x
Shettleston 2 9.24x
St Botolph Aldgate London 2 13.00x
Stockton On Tees 2 1.87x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 13
Ann 7
Ellen 7
Jane 7
Elizabeth 6
Margaret 6
Sarah 5
Annie 4
Alice 3
Emily 3
Rebecca 3
Susannah 3
Ada 2
Agnes 2
Catherine 2
Charlotte 2
Edith 2
Ethel 2
Isabella 2
Janet 2
Louisa 2
Annott 1
Caroline 1
Clara 1
Eliz 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Esther 1
Eva 1
Florenc. 1
Florence 1
Jessie 1
Julia 1
Kate 1
Lilly 1
Maria 1
Matilda 1
Minnie 1
Rose 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 29
James 14
William 7
Thomas 5
David 4
George 4
Henry 4
Joseph 4
Charles 3
Ernest 3
Edward 2
Frank 2
Michael 2
Nicholas 2
Patrick 2
Robert 2
Samuel 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Archibald 1
Arthur 1
Bartly 1
Bruce 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
Collin 1
Daniel 1
Ebenezer 1
Edgar 1
Francis 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Jas. 1
Martin 1
Micheal 1
Oswald 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Willie 1
Willm. 1
Wm.James 1

FAQ

Gillon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gillon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 761 people were recorded with the Gillon surname. That placed it at #4,855 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gillon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,429 in 2016. That gives Gillon a modern rank of #4,282.

What does the Gillon surname mean?

A surname derived from the given name Gilles, a French form of Giles.

What does the Gillon map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Gillon 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.