Given name & surname
Gilroy
“son of the redhaired lad”·“the son of a red-haired man”
Gilroy is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “son of the redhaired lad” and “the son of a red-haired man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “son of the redhaired lad” and “the son of a red-haired man”. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
Gilroy comes from Middle English, and ultimately from Irish.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Middle English Gilry, from Irish Giolla rua (“servant of the red-haired lad”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1940. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gilroy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 32
- 32 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1967
- 6 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 1991. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 207 as a first name in 2020; 3,730 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.
Gilroy’s family of names
Gilroy has a related form in Gilderoy. Gilroy has a related form in Gildray. Gilroy has a related form in Gildroy.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
Similar names
If you love Gilroy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gill
“a servant”
96% boys · 4% girls
Kinney
Kinney is a surname from Irish.
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Dermot
“a free man”
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Kraig
“from the rocky place; as solid as a rock”
>99% boys
Shan
“resembling coral” · “one who is wise and elderly”
96% boys · 4% girls
Gregor
“watchful” · “one who is vigilant; watch-”
>99% boys
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys
Rafer
“a wealthy man”
>99% boys