Gillespie ( ghil-ESP -ee ) is both a masculine given name and a surname in the English language . Variants include Gillaspie and Gillispie .
The given name is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Gille Easbaig (also rendered Gilleasbaig ), meaning "bishop's servant".[ 1] The surname Gillespie is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic Mac Gille Easbuig , and the Irish Mac Giolla Easpaig , both of which mean "bishop's servant's son".[ 2] The given name itself is derived from a word of Latin origin,[ 3] the Old Irish epscop being derived from the Latin episcopus .[ 4]
An early example of the name in Scotland occurs in a charter dated 1175–1199, recording a certain "Ewano filio Gillaspeck ".[ 3] [ 5] In Ireland, a family bearing the surname occupied the office of toísech of Clann Aílebra in the late twelfth century.[ 6] In 1172, for example, the toísech was slain by Donn Slébe Ua hEochada, King of Ulster. This slain Mac Gilla Espuic may be identical to a certain Gilla Óengusa mac Gilla Espuic, rechtaire of the Monaig of Ulster , who is earlier recorded in the king's service.[ 7] Whatever the case, a later family bearing the surname appears on record as erenaghs of Kilraine in County Donegal . During the 16th and 17th centuries in Ireland, the surname was most common in Ulster.[ 6] During the nineteenth century in Ireland, the surname was most numerous in the counties of Antrim , Donegal, Armagh , and Tyrone .[ 8] Scottish Gaelic forms of the surname include GillEasbuig [ 9] and GillEasbaig .[ 10]
A. Arnold Gillespie (1899–1978), American cinema special effects artist
Aaron Gillespie (born 1983), American rock singer & drummer
Alastair Gillespie (1922-2018), Canadian politician
Albert Gillespie (1912–1938), Australian cricketer and Royal Air Force officer
Archibald H. Gillespie (1810–1873), officer in the United States Marine Corps
Bill Gillespie (journalist) (born 1946), Canadian journalist and author
Bill Gillespie (politician) (1928–2008), American politician
Bill Gillespie (footballer) (1887–1927), Australian footballer
Billy Gillespie (1891–1981), Irish football (soccer) player
Bobby Gillespie (born 1962), Scottish rock and roll musician
Brock Gillespie (born 1982), American expatriate basketball player
Charles Gillespie (1883–1964), New Zealand rugby union player and soldier
Charles A. Gillespie Jr. (1935–2008), American diplomat
Charlie Gillespie (born 1998), Canadian actor and singer
Collin Gillespie (born 1999), American basketball player
Craig Gillespie (born 1967), Australian film director
Dan Gillespie Sells (born 1979), English singer
Dana Gillespie (born 1949), British actress and singer
Daniel Gillespie (1938–2017), American physicist
Darlene Gillespie (born 1941), Mousketeer born in Canada
David Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
Dean M. Gillespie (1884–1949), American politician
Dizzy Gillespie (1917–1993), American jazz musician
Earl Gillespie (1922–2003), American sportscaster
Ed Gillespie (born 1961), American politician
Floris Gillespie (1882–1967), Scottish painter
Gary Gillespie (born 1960), Scottish footballer
George Gillespie (1613–1648), Scottish theologian
George Lewis Gillespie Jr. (1841–1913), US Army officer
Gina Gillespie (born 1951), American former child actress, now an attorney
Gregor Gillespie (born 1987), 4x NCAA Division 1 All-American Wrestler
Haven Gillespie (1888–1975), American composer and lyricist
Jacqueline Pascarl-Gillespie (born 1963), Australian author
James Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
Janetta Gillespie (1876–1956), Scottish artist
Jason Gillespie (born 1975), Australian cricketer
John Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
John Smith Gillespie (1820 - 1903) Founding pastor of Broadway Baptist Church of Fort Worth, Texas
Joseph Gillespie (1809–1885), American politician
Keith Gillespie (born 1975), Northern Irish footballer
Kevin Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
Margaret V. Gillespie (born 1969), American politician
Mark Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
Michael Allen Gillespie (born 1951), American philosopher and social scientist
Mike Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
Mitch Gillespie (born 1959), American politician
Norm Gillespie , association football coach in Australia in the 1940s
Nick Gillespie (born 1963), American editor and political writer
Paul Gillespie (1920–1970), Major League Baseball catcher
Phillip Gillespie (born 1975), Australian cricket umpire
Robert Gillespie (born 1933), British actor, director and writer
Ronald Gillespie (1924–2021), Canadian chemist
Rosemary Gillespie (1941-2010), Australian lawyer and activist
Rosemary Gillespie (biologist) , Scottish-born American biologist
Ross Gillespie (1935–2023), New Zealand hockey player
Steven Gillespie (born 1985), English footballer
Stuart Gillespie (born 1957), New Zealand cricketer
Thomas Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
Tyree Gillespie (born 1998), American football player
William Gillespie (disambiguation) , several people
Fictional characters [ edit ]
Alessa Gillespie and Dahlia Gillespie, in the Silent Hill video game series
Chief Bill Gillespie, in the novel In the Heat of the Night and its film and television adaptations
Dr. Leonard Gillespie, in the Dr. Kildare and Dr. Gillespie film series
Rudy Gillespie, on the television series Kickin' It
^ Hanks, P ; Hardcastle, K; Hodges, F (2006). A Dictionary of First Names . Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press . pp. 400, 404. ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1 .
^ "Gillespie Family History" . Ancestry.com . Retrieved 26 November 2014 .
^ a b Black, GF (1971) [1946]. The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History . New York: The New York Public Library . p. 306 . ISBN 0-87104-172-3 . Accessed via Open Library .
^ "Letter E, Column 157" . The electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (eDIL). Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014 .
^ Cartularium Comitatus de Levanax . Edinburgh: Maitland Club . 1833. p. 12. Accessed via Google Books .
^ a b MacLysaght, E (1996). More Irish Families: A New Revised and Enlarged Edition of More Irish Families, Incorporating Supplement to Irish Families, with an Essay on Irish Chieftainries . Dublin: Irish Academic Press. p. 109 . ISBN 0-7165-2604-2 . Accessed via Open Library .
^ Byrne, FJ (2008) [2005]. "Ireland and Her Neighbours, c.1014–c.1072". In Ó Cróinín, D (ed.). Prehistoric and Early Ireland . New History of Ireland (series vol. 1). Oxford: Oxford University Press . pp. 862–898. ISBN 978-0-19-821737-4 .
^ O'Laughlin, M (1992). The Book of Irish Families Great & Small . Kansas City: Irish Genealogical Foundation. p. 125 . ISBN 0-940134-08-X . Accessed via Open Library .
^ Owen, RC (1993). The Modern Gaelic-English Dictionary . Glasgow: Gairm Publishers. p. 138. ISBN 1-871901-29-4 .
^ Mark, C (2003). The Gaelic-English Dictionary . New York: Routledge . p. 719. ISBN 0-203-27706-6 .