# Gilliam (surname)

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

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 29,414 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,204 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 10,497 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.8% (28,075 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From a medieval variant of the given name William.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Gilliam 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) | 61% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 34% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Gilliam in the United States and the United Kingdom.

## People named Gilliam

- Terry Gilliam, American born-British filmmaker, comedian, and actor (born 1940)
- Seth Gilliam, American actor
- Armen Gilliam, American basketball player (1964–2011)
- Burton Gilliam, American actor
- Herm Gilliam, American basketball player (1946–2005)
- Jude Deveraux, American writer

## Similar surnames

Gillum, Gillam, Gillen, Guillaume, Giuliano, Gillian, Giuliani, Gillan, Gillham, Gallina, Gillon, Gillin.

## 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.