Where Did Our Name Come From?



According to the Internet Surname Database, the surname Gilliam is an English form of a name of Norman (French) origin. "Guillaume" is the French male personal name better known as "William", which is itself derived from the Germanic name "Wilhelm", composed of the elements "wil", will, desire, and "helm", helmet, protection. In the central French form, the “W” is replaced by a “G”.

The name was introduced into England after the ruling Saxons fell to the Norman Conquest in 1066 led by William the Conqueror. By the customs of those times, the property of the Saxons would have been confiscated and distributed among William’s followers.  As you might expect, William quickly became the most popular given name in the country. A large number and variety of surnames were generated from "William". The forms "Gilliam", "Gilham", "Gillham", "Gillam", “Gillem”, and "Gillum" all derive from the Old French "Guillaume".

The American spelling of the name has a lot to do with where your ancestors first came to America. Those that emigrated to the northern colonies (Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey) nearly all spelled the name Gillam. Gilham was the spelling used by immigrants in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. North Carolina immigrants spelled the name Gillum. Gilliam was the spelling of choice by those that colonized Virginia, which is where the ancestors in our direct line first came to America.

Most of the Gilliams who came to America through Virginia pronounced the name as a two-syllable word, the way the other families spelled it: GILL-um. This pronunciation, with a more likely English/Welsh dialect, supports the notion that Gilliam has a Norman French origin.

There is some speculation that Gilliam is Celtic Irish in origin. The prefix “Gil-” in Celtic surnames is variously described to mean “son of” or “servant of”, or in the case of Catholic surnames “follower of” or “devotee of”. Of course, “Liam” is a Celtic Irish given name, so it makes sense that Gilliam (“son of Liam”) could be Celtic Irish in origin. If so, the pronunciation “GIL-lee-um” would support that conclusion. However, there is no Catholic saint Liam, so it is likely not a Catholic surname. Liam is the Celtic form of “William”, which leads us back to the conclusion that Gilliam is much more likely of Norman French origin.


Sources:

http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Gilliam#ixzz5ZbIdnwZB

https://www.houseofnames.com/gilliam-family-crest

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mac-surname-prefix

Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press.
Genealogy of the Jonathan Gillam Family, Edward C. Crider, 1936.

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