Gilent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland
• Scotland

Early Origins of the Gilent family

Early History of the Gilent family

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

Gilent Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland in the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. The many regional dialects and the predominate illiteracy would have made common surnames appear unrelated to the scribes of the period. Research into the name Gilent revealed spelling variations, including Gillan, Gillinan, Gillen, Gillon, Gillfinan, Gillion and many more.

Early Notables of the Gilent family

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

Migration of the Gilent family

The 19th century saw a great wave of Irish migrating out of their homeland in a great measure due to the oppressive imperial policies of the English government and landowners. Many of these Irish families sailed to North America aboard overcrowded passenger ships. By far, the largest influx of Irish immigrants to North America occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These particular immigrants were instrumental in creation of the United States and Canada as major industrial nations because the many essential elements such as the roadways, canals, bridges, and railways required an enormous quantity of cheap labor, which these poor immigrants provided. Later generations of Irish in these countries also went on to make valuable contributions in such fields as the arts, commerce, politics, and education. Extensive research into immigration and passenger lists has revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Gilent: 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.