Given name & surname
Gilman
“a manservant”
Gilman is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “a manservant.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “a manservant.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1887. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gilman through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 935
- 935 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 34 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1993. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 34 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 493 as a first name in 2020; 11,125 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gilman’s family of names
Gilman has a related form in Gillman. Gilman has a related form in Gillmann. Gilman has a related form in Gilmann.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Gilman
- Gilman LikaAlbanian footballerborn 1987
- Gilman MarstonUnion United States Army general, politician (1811-1890)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gilman, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gilmore
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Gillespie
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Geddes
Geddes is a surname from Scottish Gaelic.
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“the son of Donald”
>99% boys
Oran
“surrounded by light” · “a pale-skinned man”
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Fordyce
Fordyce is a surname from Scottish Gaelic.
>99% boys
Griffith
“a mighty chief”
>99% boys