Contents [hide]

Gilley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Gilley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland

The Gilley family comes from the ancient Scottish Dalriadan clans of the mountainous west coast of Scotland. The name Gilley is derived from the Gaelic words "gille Iose," which means "servant of Jesus."

Early Origins of the Gilley family

The surname Gilley was first found in Lothian, where a member of the family was a witness to the charter, by King David I, to the Abbey of Holyrood. In 1160, Vhtred Gilise inherited the estates in Lothian. It is also recorded that M. filius Gilise, who was a close confidant of King Malcolm IV of Scotland, was witness to a charter signed at the Abbey of Scone in 1164.

Early History of the Gilley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilley research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1264, 1376, 1521, 1747, 1778, 1793, 1836 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gilley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilley Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of Gilley include Gillies, Gillis, Gillie, Gilly, Gilles, Gillieson and many more.

Early Notables of the Gilley family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gilley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilley Ranking

In the United States, the name Gilley is the 2,839^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Gilley family to Ireland

Some of the Gilley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilley migration to the United States +

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Gilley arrived in North America very early:

Gilley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Phillip Gilley, aged 23, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806 2
Robert Gilley, aged 28, who landed in Maine in 1812 2
W B Gilley, aged 27, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Anne Gilley, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
William B Gilley, who arrived in New York in 1822 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gilley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gilley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Gilley, (Jolly), (b. 1780), aged 23, British Convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. James Gilley, (b. 1836), aged 20, Cornish agricultural labourer travelling aboard the ship "Persia" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 22nd June 1856 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Gilley (post 1700) +

James Wade Gilley (b. 1938), American academic, 4th President of University of Tennessee from 1999 to 2001, President of Marshall University from 1991 to 1999
Herbert Paul Gilley (1929-1957), American country music lyricist and promoter from Kentucky, after his death due to drowning at the age of 27, he was identified more widely as likely having written the lyrics to a dozen famous songs, including two that were hits for Hank Williams: "Cold, Cold Heart" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
Bruce Gilley (b. 1966), American professor of political science at Portland State University
Mickey Leroy Gilley (1936-2022), American country music singer and songwriter, known for "Room Full of Roses", "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time"
Clarence W. Gilley (b. 1919), American Republican politician, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (1949-1954) 5
Stan Gilley (b. 1982), American professional football player
Wendell Gilley, American bird watcher and artist who carved birds in wood on Mount Desert Island, Maine
Wayne W. Gilley, American politician, Mayor of Lawton, Oklahoma, 1967 6
Janice E. Gilley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Florida, 2004 6
Clarence William Gilley (b. 1919), American Republican politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly from Florence, Forest and Oneida counties, 1949-50 6
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Gilley Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Touch not the cat bot a glove
Motto Translation: Touch not the cat without a glove

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1850_59.pdf
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2013, November 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html