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Gillingham History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Gillingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Gillingham is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Gillingham family lived the Old French given name Guillaume. The name Guillaume was modified into two forms after arriving in England: Gillham; from which Gillingham derives; and William. Alternatively, the name could have been a local name as "of Gillingham." In this case, there are three parishes so named in England: a parish in Norfolk, near Beccles; a parish in Dorset, near Shaftesbury; a parish in Kent, near Chatham. 1

Early Origins of the Gillingham family

The surname Gillingham was first found in Dorset, Norfolk, and in Kent. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Gild de Gillingham in Dorset and Robert de Gyllingham in Norfolk. During the reign of Edward I., Hugh de Gillingham was found in Kent and Robert de Gillingham was found in Norfolk. Richard de Gillyngham, was listed in Somerset, during the reign of Edward III. 1

Another source claims the Dorset local was the original. "The Gillinghams evidently derive their name from the Dorset town thus called." 2

We will take a moment to discuss the ancient history of Gillingham, Kent. "This ancient village, which is recorded in Domesday Book by the name of Gelingeham, was much exposed to the ravages of the Danes; and it is said that 600 noblemen, who landed here in the retinue of Alfred and Edward, were murdered upon the spot, by Earl Godwin. Charles I. erected a fort for the protection of the royal dockyard and navy, which, proving ineffectual to resist the Dutch in their celebrated expedition up the river, in 1667, was subsequently enlarged, and distinguished by the name of Gillingham Castle. The church was formerly remarkable for what was deemed a miraculous image of the Virgin, called 'Our Lady of Gillingham,' in a niche over the western door, to which frequent pilgrimages were made." 3 The Dillingham variant originates in Dullingham (the village of Dulla's people), in Cambridgeshire. 4 5 Today the Gillingham variant is fairly rare while the Dillingham is preferred.

Early History of the Gillingham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gillingham research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1611, 1613, 1617, 1625, 1678, 1689, 1695 and 1735 are included under the topic Early Gillingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gillingham Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Gillingham, Gillam, Gwilliams, Gilham, Dillingham and many more.

Early Notables of the Gillingham family

More information is included under the topic Early Gillingham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gillingham Ranking

In the United States, the name Gillingham is the 15,823^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Gillingham is ranked the 122^nd most popular surname with an estimated 295 people with that name. 7

Gillingham migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Gillingham name or one of its variants:

Gillingham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Gillingham, who landed in Virginia in 1642 8

Gillingham Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Gillingham, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1843 8
Conrad Gillingham, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
H Gillingham, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 8
R. Gillingham, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852 with a lady

Gillingham Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Walter Gillingham, aged 15, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Belgic" from Liverpool, England 9
John Rowley Gillingham, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 9

Gillingham migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gillingham Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Gillingham who was listed at Greenspond, Newfoundland in 1816 10
Thomas Gillingham, a planter at Kelligrews, Newfoundland in 1816 10
Charles Gillingham, a planter at Ochre Pit Cove, Newfoundland in 1834 10
Thomas Gillingham who was listed at Change Islands, Newfoundland in 1841 10
Charles Gillingham, a planter at Lower Island Cove, Newfoundland in 1851 10

Gillingham migration to Australia +

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

Gillingham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Matilda Gillingham, (b. 1825), aged 16, English house wife who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years for burglary, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1901 11
John Gillingham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bussorah Merchant" in 1848 12
Jane Gillingham, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Brankenmoor" 13
James Gillingham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Branken Moor" in 1849 13
Ellen Gillingham, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 14

Gillingham migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gillingham Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Stephen Gillingham, (b. 1816), aged 25, British yeoman travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 15
Mrs. Joanna Gillingham, (b. 1819), aged 22, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 15

Contemporary Notables of the name Gillingham (post 1700) +

Gale Gillingham (1944-2010), American NFL football player, two-time Super Bowl Champion
Charles Thomas "Charlie" Gillingham (b. 1960), American Academy Award nominated musician
David Gillingham (b. 1947), American composer
Andrew Gillingham (b. 1995), American actor
Nelson Gillingham, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives, 1893 16
Joseph J. Gillingham, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1856 16
James T. Gillingham, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1868 16
Grover C. Gillingham, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Newport, 1938 16
Mrs. E. B. Gillingham, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1952 16
Francis John Gillingham CBE, MBE(Mil.) (1916-2010), English pioneering neurosurgeon, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (1980)
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gillingham family +

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. Henry Gillingham (b. 1842), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 17

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUSSORAH MERCHANT 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848BussorahMerchant.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The BRANKEN MOOR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849BrankenMoor.htm
State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1851 from London 12 05 1851 and southampton with Captain Roskell, arrived Port Adelaide on 1-09-1851. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Asia.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm