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Gilroy Family History

Gilroy Name Meaning

Irish and Scottish: shortened Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Rua and Scottish Gaelic Mac Gille Ruaidh ‘son of the red-haired lad’ from ruadh ‘red’. Compare McElroy .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Kilroy, Gilboy, Mulroy, Milloy, Girty, Kirby, Croy, Gilkey, Milroy

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Gilroy family from?

You can see how Gilroy families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gilroy family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gilroy families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 191 Gilroy families living in Ontario. This was about 59% of all the recorded Gilroy's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Gilroy families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gilroy surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Gilroy ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Gilroy. 52% of Gilroy men worked as a Farmer and 34% of Gilroy women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gilroy were Laborer and Clerk. .

View Census Data for Gilroy | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    52%
  • Farming
    8%
  • Labourer
    7%
  • Laborer
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    34%
  • Student
    24%
  • Stenographer
    15%
  • Clerk
    10%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Gilroy family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 45,000 census records available for the last name Gilroy. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gilroy census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Gilroy

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Gilroy. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Gilroy immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Gilroy. For the veterans among your Gilroy ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Gilroy military records

You've only scratched the surface of Gilroy family history

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What is the average Gilroy lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Gilroy life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1940, and highest in 1988. The average life expectancy for Gilroy in 1940 was 36, and 78 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gilroy

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