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In Ireland, the name Gillespie is the usual modern form of MacGillespick, or "Mac Giolla Epscoip," which means "son of the servant or follower of the bishop."
The surname Gillespi 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 had been documented in Ireland since the invasion led by Strongbow, the Earl of Pembroke in 1172.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gillespi research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1567, 1766 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Gillespi History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Gillespie, Gillespick, MacGillespie, MacGillespick, Glaspey, Clubsy and many more.
Notable amongst the family up to this time was
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Matthew Gilespy, who settled in Charleston in 1767; James Gilespie arrived in Philadelphia in 1861; Neil Gillespie with his wife Mary arrived in New York State in 1739 with his two sons, Gilbert and Angus.