Killgore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Killgore

What does the name Killgore mean?

The ancestors of the Killgore family were part of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. They lived in Kilgour, which is located near Falkland in the county of Fife. "The ancient name of a parish in Fifeshire, Scotland, so called from kill, a church, and gour, a hill—the church on the hill, or surrounded by hills." 1

Early Origins of the Killgore family

The surname Killgore was first found in Fife, at Kilgour where it is "an old Scottish family, who probably derived their name from a place so called in the parish of Falkland, co. Fife. " 2 "The surname is found all over Fife and is also common in Aberdeenshire. It is also found in North Australia, and has given name to a river there." 3

Early History of the Killgore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Killgore research. Another 192 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1006, 1528, 1540, 1550, 1551, 1555, 1563, 1566, 1567, 1572, 1600, 1607, 1644 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Killgore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Killgore Spelling Variations

In medieval Scotland, names were more often spelled according to sound than any regular set of rules. An enormous number of spelling variations were the result. Over the years, the name Killgore has been spelled Kilgour, Kilgore and others.

Early Notables of the Killgore family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir Thomas Kilgour, "who appears in 1528 as chaplain of St, Thomas in the palace of Falkland is probably the same "Sir" Thomas Kilgoure to whom several entries of...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Killgore Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Killgore Ranking

In the United States, the name Killgore is the 17,711^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Killgore migration to the United States +

In such difficult times, Ireland, Australia, and North America looked like better homes for many Scots. The trips were expensive and grueling, but also rewarding, as the colonies were havens for those unwelcome in the old country. That legacy did not die easily, though, and many were forced to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. The Scottish legacy has resurface in more recent times, though, through Clan societies, highland games, and other organizations. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the old Scottish name of Killgore:

Killgore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Killgore, who arrived in New York in 1801 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Killgore (post 1700) +

Read Killgore (1912-1980), American assistant director and production manager from San Francisco, California, known for The Fugitive (1963), Border Patrol (1959) and Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title (1966)
William P.M. Killgore, American producer, known for Heroes of Dirt (2015), Future Plains and 100 Days of Death (2012)
Paulie Killgore, American actress, known for A Ghost Story (2017), Amazin' Grace (2014) and Degenerates (2013)
Emily Killgore, American visual effects specialist, known for Black Widow (2021), Eternals (2021) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)
Andrew Ivy Killgore (1919-2016), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Qatar, 1977-80 6
Jean Killgore, American Republican politician, Candidate for Texas State House of Representatives 17th District, 2002, 2004 6

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html