Gillespie Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Gillespie last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Gillespie last name
Meaning of the Gillespie last name: son of the bishop's servant. Gillespie is a Scottish and Irish surname from Gaelic Mac Gille Easbaig, "son of the bishop's servant"; the word for bishop goes back through Latin to Greek. In Ireland the family were hereditary church stewards in County Donegal, and the last name was common in Antrim, Donegal, Armagh and Tyrone. A curious detail: Ulster and Scottish emigrants took it to Pennsylvania and the South.
Arms associated with the Gillespie name
Scottish heraldry favours bold figures such as lions, stars and hands, and coats of arms associated with the Gillespie surname follow that strong, clear style.
Get your full Gillespie family history
This is only a glimpse of the Gillespie story. The full Gillespie history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Gillespie coat of arms. Get the full Gillespie report.
Gillespie name FAQ
What does the Gillespie name mean?
Son of the bishop's servant. Common variants include Gillaspie, Gillespey, Gilhespy.
Where does the Gillespie surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Is there a Gillespie coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Gillespie coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).