History of your Surname
Get access to Gills family records.Start a free trial

Gills Family History

Gills Name Meaning

English: variant of Gill with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. Alternatively if pronounced with soft G- possibly a variant of Giles .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Gill, Mills, Gille, Wells, Lilly, Gall, Gilles, Grill, Gilly, Dills

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Gills family from?

You can see how Gills families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gills family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gills families were found in USA in 1880, and United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 15 Gills families living in Virginia. This was about 52% of all the recorded Gills's in USA. Virginia had the highest population of Gills families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gills surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Gills ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Gills. 23% of Gills men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Gills women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gills were Salesman and Stenographer. .

View Census Data for Gills | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    23%
  • Farmer
    17%
  • Farm Laborer
    5%
  • Salesman
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    8%
  • Maid
    8%
  • Cook
    8%
  • Stenographer
    7%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Gills family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 17,000 census records available for the last name Gills. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gills census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Gills

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Gills. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Gills immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 military records available for the last name Gills. For the veterans among your Gills ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gills military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gills family history

Discover More

What is the average Gills lifespan?

Between 1947 and 2004, in the United States, Gills life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1947, and highest in 1967. The average life expectancy for Gills in 1947 was 31, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gills

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Gills family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Gills last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial