NameCensus.

UK surname

Gilmour

A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place near Stewarton in Ayrshire, likely meaning "big village" in Gaelic.

In the 1881 census there were 4,205 people recorded with the Gilmour surname, ranking it #1,069 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,300, ranked #917, up from #1,069 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to New Monkland, Beith and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Galston, Kilwinning West and Blacklands and Grange, Howard and Gargieston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Gilmour is 7,314 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 73.6%.

1881 census count

4,205

Ranked #1,069

Modern count

7,300

2016, ranked #917

Peak year

2010

7,314 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Gilmour had 4,205 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,069 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,300 in 2016, ranked #917.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,536 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Gilmour surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Gilmour surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Gilmour 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 2,536 #1,169
1861 historical 2,860 #1,021
1881 historical 4,205 #1,069
1891 historical 4,672 #999
1901 historical 5,536 #1,008
1911 historical 943 #4,772
1997 modern 6,777 #959
1998 modern 6,990 #970
1999 modern 7,140 #956
2000 modern 7,115 #953
2001 modern 6,925 #956
2002 modern 7,068 #953
2003 modern 6,945 #945
2004 modern 6,982 #941
2005 modern 6,954 #935
2006 modern 6,911 #942
2007 modern 7,016 #930
2008 modern 7,041 #936
2009 modern 7,181 #939
2010 modern 7,314 #941
2011 modern 7,122 #957
2012 modern 6,930 #963
2013 modern 7,168 #943
2014 modern 7,301 #928
2015 modern 7,245 #926
2016 modern 7,300 #917

Geography

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Where Gilmours are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Galston, Kilwinning West and Blacklands, Grange, Howard and Gargieston, Keppochhill and Cumnock South and Craigens. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 New Monkland Lanark
2 Beith Ayr
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Galston East Ayrshire
2 Kilwinning West and Blacklands North Ayrshire
3 Grange, Howard and Gargieston East Ayrshire
4 Keppochhill Glasgow City
5 Cumnock South and Craigens East Ayrshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Gilmour

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Gilmour

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Gilmour, 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 Gilmour surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Gilmour 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

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Gilmour is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

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

Gilmour 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

Gilmour 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 Gilmour 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 - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Gilmour

The surname Gilmour originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic words 'gil' meaning 'bright' and 'muir' meaning 'sea'. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a bright or shimmering sea or lake.

The earliest recorded mention of the name dates back to the 13th century in the county of Perthshire, Scotland. An Adam Gilmour is found in the records of Inchmahome Priory in 1263. The name is also found in various charters and rolls from that era, with spellings like Gillemore, Gilmor, and Gilmoure.

In 1296, a Richard de Gilmour from Lanarkshire swore fealty to King Edward I of England. This is one of the earliest references to the name in connection with a specific location.

The Gilmours were a prominent family in the parish of Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, where they held lands as early as the 15th century. Sir John Gilmour (c. 1605-1671) was a Scottish writer and supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Charles Gilmour (1838-1923), a Scottish businessman and Member of Parliament who served as Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1904 to 1909.

In the field of arts and culture, the painter and printmaker John Gilmour (1917-2002) was a respected figure in the Scottish art world. The musician and songwriter David Gilmour (born 1946), best known as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Pink Floyd, is perhaps the most famous bearer of the Gilmour name today.

Other notable Gilmours include Andrew Gilmour (1828-1901), a Scottish-Australian pastoralist and politician, and Sir John Gilmour (1876-1940), a British civil servant and politician who served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1924 to 1929.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Gilmour families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Gilmour 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 1,481 Gilmours recorded in 1881 and an index of 11.08x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 1,481 11.08x
Ayrshire 649 20.98x
Renfrewshire 484 15.11x
Fife 253 10.34x
Midlothian 128 2.31x
Lancashire 115 0.23x
Dunbartonshire 103 9.27x
Wigtownshire 103 18.76x
Perthshire 82 4.42x
Stirlingshire 79 5.18x
Middlesex 78 0.19x
Cumberland 73 2.05x
Argyllshire 53 4.61x
Yorkshire 52 0.13x
Durham 49 0.40x
Kirkcudbrightshire 49 8.19x
Isle of Man 47 6.12x
Northumberland 41 0.67x
West Lothian 40 6.43x
Dumfriesshire 39 4.27x
Hampshire 36 0.42x
Angus 26 0.68x
Ross-shire 26 2.29x
Surrey 21 0.10x
Clackmannanshire 15 4.39x
Buteshire 12 4.79x
Sussex 12 0.17x
Cheshire 11 0.12x
Leicestershire 9 0.20x
Inverness-shire 8 0.65x
Staffordshire 8 0.06x
Berwickshire 7 1.40x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.13x
Lincolnshire 6 0.09x
East Lothian 5 0.91x
Morayshire 4 0.62x
Buckinghamshire 3 0.12x
Gloucestershire 3 0.04x
Kent 3 0.02x
Kinross-shire 3 2.87x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.05x
Derbyshire 2 0.03x
Devon 2 0.02x
Norfolk 2 0.03x
Banffshire 1 0.12x
Cornwall 1 0.02x
Glamorgan 1 0.01x
Roxburghshire 1 0.13x
Somerset 1 0.02x
Warwickshire 1 0.01x
Worcestershire 1 0.02x

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 401 Gilmours recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.13x.

Place Total Index
Govan 401 12.13x
Barony 314 9.28x
Glasgow 185 7.79x
Kilmarnock 87 23.63x
Abbey 78 15.96x
New Monkland 69 17.46x
Old Monkland 67 12.63x
Bothwell 63 17.38x
Paisley High Church 62 24.31x
Beith 55 59.58x
Neilston 52 32.33x
Port Glasgow 51 32.93x
Hamilton 50 13.41x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 46 2.06x
Kilmaurs 43 81.69x
Dalserf 41 30.73x
Shettleston 40 33.41x
Toxteth Park 40 2.41x
Stewarton 39 63.70x
Blackford 38 167.55x
Paisley Middle Church 38 20.37x
Dundonald 36 31.55x
Old Kilpatrick 35 26.66x
Cathcart 34 19.61x
Cambuslang 33 24.48x
Dunfermline 33 8.77x
Burntisland 31 45.31x
Dysart 30 18.20x
Galston 30 35.46x
East Greenock 29 9.59x
Dunoon Kilmun 27 30.08x
Kilwinning 27 27.02x
Markinch 27 32.50x
Ochiltree 27 126.88x
West Greenock 27 4.70x
Dalry 26 17.86x
Irvine 26 30.25x
Newton On Ayr 25 26.98x
Stonehouse 25 55.13x
East Kilbride 24 41.91x
Lesmahagow 24 16.97x
New Cumnock 24 44.73x
Islington London 23 0.57x
South Leith 23 3.69x
Whithorn 23 54.98x
Dunlop 22 113.99x
Harrington 22 51.21x
Row 22 15.31x
Carmunnock 21 204.68x
Dalziel 21 14.60x
Sheffield 21 1.61x
Shotts 20 12.50x
St Madoes 20 447.43x
Eastwood 19 9.63x
Sanquhar 19 59.19x
Scoonie 19 35.85x
Wigtown 19 60.64x
Cambusnethan 18 6.06x
Inch 18 33.63x
Maryhill 18 6.88x
Dearham 17 36.21x
Dreghorn 17 30.35x
Linlithgow 17 21.29x
Lochwinnoch 17 35.60x
Mearns 17 30.29x
Blantyre 16 11.50x
Strathblane 16 84.08x
Falkland 15 38.97x
Kirkmabreck 15 57.32x
Kirkoswald 15 59.38x
Slamannan 15 17.97x
Auckinleck 14 14.62x
Eaglesham 14 71.32x
Kirkcaldy 14 11.53x
Old Cumnock 14 20.32x
Stevenston 14 17.36x
Boness 13 15.15x
Inveraray 13 87.42x
Kirkmichael 13 46.10x
Stirling 13 6.76x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 47
James 35
William 28
Robert 22
Thomas 21
George 16
David 10
Hugh 8
Patrick 6
Peter 6
Alexander 5
Henry 5
Alfred 4
Arthur 4
Charles 4
Douglas 4
Daniel 3
Francis 3
Harry 3
Richard 3
Duncan 2
Frank 2
Percy 2
Stephen 2
Wiliam 2
Andrew 1
Archibald 1
Christopher 1
Cornelius 1
Earnest 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
Geo 1
Geo. 1
Hamilton 1
Hendrie 1
Jeremia 1
Joseph 1
Josh 1
Kenneth 1
Leon 1
M. 1
Matthew 1
Michael 1
Patcy 1
Rowland 1
Saml. 1
Samuel 1
Sidney 1
Wm.Geo. 1

FAQ

Gilmour surname: questions and answers

How common was the Gilmour surname in 1881?

In 1881, 4,205 people were recorded with the Gilmour surname. That placed it at #1,069 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Gilmour surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,300 in 2016. That gives Gilmour a modern rank of #917.

What does the Gilmour surname mean?

A Scottish habitational surname derived from a place near Stewarton in Ayrshire, likely meaning "big village" in Gaelic.

What does the Gilmour map show?

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