Show ContentsGilcrest History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The background history of the name Gilcrest starts in ancient Scotland among the Pictish people. The name Gilcrest is derived from the Gaelic name Gille Criosd, which became Gillacrist in Middle Gaelic. The name literally means "servant of Christ." [1]

Early Origins of the Gilcrest family

The surname Gilcrest was first found in Berwickshire where the first records of the family were as a forename. "Gillecrist mac Finguni and Gillecrist mac Cormaic are witnesses to Gaelic grants in the Book of Deer before 1132. Gillecrist mac Gillewinin witnessed the charter by Uchtredus filius Fergusi of the church of Colmanele to the Abbey of Holyrood c. 1165, and mention is made of the lands of Gilcriste Kide near the river Nethan c. 1180-1203." [2]

Early History of the Gilcrest family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilcrest research. Another 328 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1057, 1179, 1190, 1200, 1204, 1219, 1231, 1282, 1296, 1302, 1304, 1343, 1707, 1732, 1774 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gilcrest History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilcrest Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Gilcrest include Gilchrist, Gilchristson, Ghilchriston, Gillchrist, Gillcrest, Gilcrist and many more.

Early Notables of the Gilcrest family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Ebenezer Gilchrist (1707-1774), Scottish physician, born at Dumfries in 1707, studied medicine at Edinburgh, London, and Paris, and graduated...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gilcrest Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Gilcrest family to Ireland

Some of the Gilcrest family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Gilcrest migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Gilcrest:

Gilcrest Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Robert Gilcrest, who arrived in Virginia in 1725 [3]


  1. Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
  2. 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)
  3. 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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