| ![Show Contents]() Gillenwater History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland The original Gaelic form of Gillenwater was Ó Giollain, from the word "giolla," which means "lad." 1 Early Origins of the Gillenwater familyThe surname Gillenwater was first found in County Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from ancient times. Early History of the Gillenwater familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gillenwater research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gillenwater History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gillenwater Spelling VariationsDuring the Middle Ages, a standardized literary language known by the general population of Ireland was a thing of fiction. When a person's name was recorded by one of the few literate scribes, it was up that particular scribe to decide how to spell an individual's name. So a person could have several spelling variations of his name recorded during a single lifetime. Research into the name Gillenwater revealed many variations, including Gillan, Gillinan, Gillen, Gillon, Gillfinan, Gillion and many more. Early Notables of the Gillenwater familyMore information is included under the topic Early Gillenwater Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gillenwater RankingIn the United States, the name Gillenwater is the 8,391st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 Migration of the Gillenwater familyThousands of Irish left in their homeland in the 18th and 19th centuries to escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, and in the search of a plot of land to call their own. These immigrants arrived at the eastern shores of North America, early on settling and breaking the land, and, later, building the bridges, canals, and railroads essential to the emerging nations of United States and Canada. Many others would toil for low wages in the dangerous factories of the day. Although there had been a steady migration of Irish to North America over these years, the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Gillenwater or a variant listed above: Hugh and Jane Gillan who settled in New York State in 1823; James Gillan settled in New York in 1803; John, Patrick, Thomas and William Gillan settled in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Gillenwater (post 1700) | + |
- James R. Gillenwater (1871-1946), American soldier when he received the Congressional Medal of Honor
- Claral Lewis Gillenwater (1900-1978), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
- Carden Edison Gillenwater (1918-2000), American Major League Baseball center fielder
- Elba Gillenwater, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wyoming County, 1950 3
- Robert Gillenwater (b. 1962), professional Australian rules footballer
| Historic Events for the Gillenwater family | + |
USS Arizona - Mr. Charles E. Gillenwater, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 4
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