Kilgore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Kilgore was first used as a surname by descendants of the Pictish people of ancient Scotland. The ancestors of the Kilgore family lived in Kilgour, which is located near Falkland in the county of Fife. "The ancient name of a parish in Fifeshire, Scotland, so called from kill, a church, and gour, a hill—the church on the hill, or surrounded by hills." 1

Early Origins of the Kilgore family

The surname Kilgore was first found in Fife, at Kilgour where it is "an old Scottish family, who probably derived their name from a place so called in the parish of Falkland, co. Fife. " 2 "The surname is found all over Fife and is also common in Aberdeenshire. It is also found in North Australia, and has given name to a river there." 3

Early History of the Kilgore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kilgore research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1006, 1528, 1540, 1550, 1551, 1555, 1563, 1566, 1567, 1572, 1600, 1607, 1644 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Kilgore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kilgore Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Kilgore has appeared Kilgour, Kilgore and others.

Early Notables of the Kilgore family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir Thomas Kilgour, "who appears in 1528 as chaplain of St, Thomas in the palace of Falkland is probably the same "Sir" Thomas Kilgoure to whom several entries of...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kilgore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kilgore Ranking

In the United States, the name Kilgore is the 1,515^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 4

Kilgore migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Kilgore:

Kilgore Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francis Kilgore, who landed in America in 1760-1763 5
Francis Kilgore, who settled in Virginia in 1761
John Kilgore, who arrived in New England in 1764 5

Kilgore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Kilgore, who landed in New York in 1801 5
Robert Kilgore, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 5
Isaac Kilgore, aged 24, who settled in America, in 1897
William Kilgore, aged 50, who landed in America from Tyrone, in 1898

Kilgore Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. T. A. Kilgore, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Killarney, in 1901
Alexander Kilgore, aged 46, who settled in America from Kirkcauldy, Scotland, in 1908
Robert Kilgore, aged 26, who settled in America from Magherabag, Ireland, in 1912
Willis Kilgore, aged 24, who settled in Sanatonia, Texas, in 1915
Thomas B Kilgore, aged 37, who settled in Spokane, Wash, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kilgore migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kilgore Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Thomas Kilgore, aged 37, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1908
Thorold H. Kilgore, aged 21, who immigrated to Toronto, Ontario Canada, in 1912

Contemporary Notables of the name Kilgore (post 1700) +

Theola Kilgore (1925-2005), American soul and gospel singer
Constantine Buckley Kilgore (1835-1897), American politician, U.S. Representative from Texas (1887-1895)
Daniel Kilgore (1793-1851), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio (1834-1838)
Daniel Kilgore (b. 1987), American NFL football offensive guard and center for the San Francisco 49ers
David Kilgore (1804-1879), American politician, U.S. Representative from Indiana (1857-1861)
Jerry Kilgore (b. 1964), American country music artist
Joe Madison Kilgore (1918-1999), American politician and airman, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (1955-1965), recipient of the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with two Oak leaf clusters
Terry Gene Kilgore (b. 1961), American politician, Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1994)
Larry Scott Kilgore (b. 1964), American politician, former Republican candidate in the Texas gubernatorial election, 2010
Alfred R. "Al" Kilgore (1927-1983), American artist, cartoonist, and filmmaker, National Cartoonists Society Award winner (1976)
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)