Show ContentsGiland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The original Gaelic form of Giland was Ó Giollain, from the word "giolla," which means "lad." 1

Early Origins of the Giland family

The surname Giland 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 Giland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Giland research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Giland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Giland Spelling Variations

In the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Giland family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Gillan, Gillinan, Gillen, Gillon, Gillfinan, Gillion and many more.

Early Notables of the Giland family

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

Migration of the Giland family

Ireland saw an enormous decrease in its population in the 19th century due to immigration and death. This pattern of immigration began slowly in the late 18th century and gradually grew throughout the early portion of the 19th century. However, a dramatic increase in the country's immigration numbers occurred when the Great Potato Famine struck in the 1840s. The early immigrants to North America were primarily destined to be farmers tending to their own plot of land, those that came later initially settled within pre-established urban centers. These urban immigrants provided the cheap labor that the fast developing United States and soon to be Canada required. Regardless of their new lifestyle in North America, the Irish immigrants to the United States and Canada made invaluable contributions to their newly adopted societies. An investigation of immigrant and passenger lists revealed many Gilands: 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.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)


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