Show ContentsGilliand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Gilliand surname is a reduced Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic Mac Gille Fhaoláin, which means "son of the servant of St Faolán." While the name may have originated in Ireland, this line was extant by the beginning of the 17th century, only to find many of the family to return to Ireland about 100 years later with the Plantation of Ulster.

Early Origins of the Gilliand family

The surname Gilliand was first found in Midlothian, where Gilbert McGillelane or McGillolane was listed as captain of Clan Connan of Galloway during the reign of David II (1324-1371). Also during this time, Ingeram M'Gillelan held a lease of lands in the barony of Redcastle in 1372. [1]

Early History of the Gilliand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilliand research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1206, 1667, 1731, 1735, 1847, 1864 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gilliand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilliand Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gilleland, Gillieland, Gillsland, Gilsland, Gillesland, Gillerlaine, Gillerland, Gillisland, Gillan, Gillander, Gilander, MacGillanders and many more.

Early Notables of the Gilliand family

Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gilliand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Gilliand family to Ireland

Some of the Gilliand family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Gilliand migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gilliand Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J Gilliand, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [2]
  • William Gilliand, aged 41, who arrived in New York, NY in 1870 [2]


  1. 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)
  2. 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)


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