Kilgore
An Irish and Scottish surname probably linked to a place-name with the element for “church,” though its exact origin is uncertain.
The #1,667 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,276 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kilgore is usually treated as a Gaelic place-name surname. The first element is likely cill, meaning “church,” a very common element in Irish and Scottish place names. The second element is less certain; older writers sometimes connected it with a personal name or with a descriptive Gaelic element, but the exact source behind Kilgore is not securely established from the excerpts. In short, the name probably began as someone’s identification with a church-associated place.
History
The surname is found in Irish and Scottish surname traditions and later appears in Anglophone records in several spellings, including Kilgor and Kilgore. In the United States it is uncommon but established, with the modern spelling now the standard form. The historical sources provided mention the name only incidentally, so the precise etymology should be treated cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Gaelic root cill appears in many place names and surnames across Ireland and Scotland, usually marking an old church site.
From the historical record
“Pearce, Pearsall, Stabbs, Staab, Hackett, Durkin, Durkee, Hews, Cutts, Mangles, Killin (L. 174), Kilgore, Kilbride, Kilroy, Kilmaster (1641), Kill- NAMES FROM WAR. 377 MAN* (September, 1857), Killer, Killy, Slane,”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)