Gilmore (surname)

Gilmore and Gillmore are surnames with several origins and meanings.

The name can be of Irish, in particular from Ulster,[1] and Scottish Highland origin, Anglicised from the Gaelic Mac Gille Mhoire (Scottish Gaelic), Mac Giolla Mhuire (Ulster Irish Gaelic).[2] The name was a patronymic name meaning "servant of (the Virgin) Mary".[2]

Gilmore is an alternative, or sept, of Clan Morrison from Scotland, known as MacGilleMhoire in Scottish Gaelic. Gillmore has been noted as a derivative of the Scottish Gaelic Gille-mohr, meaning "great servant", a name given to the armour-bearer to a Highland chief,[3]: 129  or more prosaically to the servant or henchman of a chief.[3]: 416 

Another origin of the surname Gilmore is Irish, with two separate meanings. In County Armagh, the name is an Anglicised form of Mac Giolla Mhura "servant of St. Mura" (of Fahan, County Donegal).[2] In County Sligo, Gilmore is an Anglicisation of Mac Giolla Mhir meaning "son of the spirited lad".[2]

Surname Relationships
Gilmore Gillmore Gilmour Delmore Dilmer Gilmer Kilgore Killmore Larmore
Gilmore X [1][2][3]: 129  [1][2] [2] [2] [1][2] [2] [1] [2]
Gillmore — X [3]: 129 
Gilmour — — X
Delmore — — — X
Dilmer — — — — X
Gilmer — — — — — X
Kilgore — — — — — — X
Killmore — — — — — — — X
Larmore — — — — — — — — X
  1. ^ a b c d e Michael C., O'Laughlin (1992). The Book of Irish Families Great & Small. Kansas City, Missouri: Irish Genealogical Foundation. p. 126. ISBN 0-940134-08-X – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Gilmore Family History". Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2019 – via Ancestry.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "Gillmore". Patronymica Brittania. London: John Russell Smith. 1860. p. 129 – via Internet Archive.