Gilliyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The generations and branches of the Gilliyn family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Gilliyn comes from the personal name Julian, which was both masculine and feminine in Old English. Consequently, both patronymic and metronymic surnames are derived from this name. The personal name Julian was originally derived from both the Latin masculine name Julianus and the Latin feminine name Juliana; these were both names of saints and enjoyed great popularity.

Early Origins of the Gilliyn family

The surname Gilliyn was first found in Cambridgeshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Gilliyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gilliyn research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1574, 1591, 1743 and 1774 are included under the topic Early Gilliyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gilliyn Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Gilliyn include Julian, Jullian, Julyan, Juliane, Julion, Gillian and others.

Early Notables of the Gilliyn family

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

Migration of the Gilliyn family to Ireland

Some of the Gilliyn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gilliyn family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Gilliyn or a variant listed above: William Julian, who sailed to Virginia as one of the first settlers to America in 1609; Sara Julian to Virginia in 1618; William Julian to Virginia in 1623.