# Gillespie (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/gillespie/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Scottish and Irish Gaelic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 42,693 |
| US rank (2010) | 811 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 7,232 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.1% (41,393 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɡɪˈlɛspi/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Archibald, Clasby, Gillespey, Gillaspy |

## Etymology

Anglicization of Scottish Gaelic Gilleasbuig and Irish Giolla Easpaig, both meaning "servant of the bishop", with the second element of the names being derived from Latin episcopus.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Gillespie in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 81% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Gillespie in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.

## People named Gillespie

- Dizzy Gillespie, American jazz trumpeter (1917–1993)
- Craig Gillespie, Australian film director
- Dana Gillespie, British actress, singer and songwriter
- Collin Gillespie, American basketball player (born 1999)
- Jason Gillespie, Australian cricketer
- Aaron Gillespie, American musician
- Gregor Gillespie, American collegiate wrestler and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter
- Ed Gillespie, American political strategist
- Cravon Gillespie, American sprinter

## Similar surnames

Gillispie, Gillaspie, Goolsby, Glasper, Glaspie.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.