Gillen Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Gillen last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Gillen coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Gillen last name
Meaning of the Gillen last name: a descendant of a little servant or youth. Gillen is an anglicized form of Gaelic names built on giolla, servant or youth, with a diminutive ending. The surname is found in Sligo, Donegal and Tyrone. Similar spellings such as Gillan and Gillon belong to related forms, though this last name may have more than one local origin.
Arms associated with the Gillen name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Gillen family history
This is only a glimpse of the Gillen story. The full Gillen 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 Gillen coat of arms. Get the full Gillen report.
Gillen name FAQ
What does the Gillen name mean?
A descendant of a little servant or youth.
Where does the Gillen surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States and England.
Is there a Gillen coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Gillen coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.