| ![Show Contents]() Gilbride History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
There are many Irish surnames being used today in forms that are quite different than their original, ancient forms. Gilbride originally appeared in Gaelic as Mac Giolla Bhrighde, which denotes a devotee of St. Brigid. Early Origins of the Gilbride familyThe surname Gilbride was first found in Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where the they are descended from the son of the servant (follower, devotee) of St. Brigit, the virgin Abbess of Kildare who died 525 A.D. The surname was first listed as eranaghs of Raymunterdoney in Donegal, a parish which includes Tory Island. The parish comprises 12,017 statute acres, but more than two-thirds is mountainous. Records show the name was principally found at Gweedore in the seventeenth century. Early History of the Gilbride familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilbride research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1650, 1659, 1718, 1726, 1730, 1778 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Gilbride History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Gilbride Spelling VariationsMany spelling variations of the surname Gilbride can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include MacBride, Kilbride, Gilbride and others. Early Notables of the Gilbride familyProminent amongst the family at this time was - John MacGilbride (d. 1440), one of the many Bishops of Raphoe with the same surname
 Gilbride migration to the United States | + |
In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Gilbride family came to North America quite early:
Gilbride Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Hugh Gilbride, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 1
| Contemporary Notables of the name Gilbride (post 1700) | + |
- Kevin Gilbride (b. 1951), American football head coach for twenty years in the NFL, spending seven of them as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants
- Paddy Gilbride (b. 1962), Irish professional footballer
- Eugene Gilbride (1892-1972), Irish Fianna Fáil politician and farmer
- Brigadier William Preston Gilbride (b. 1911), Deputy Adjutant & Quartermaster-General I Canadian Corps (1944-1945) 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)
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, September 15) William Gilbride. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Gilbride/William_Preston/Canada.html
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Gilbride migration to the United States 
Ireland
Scotland
