This rare and intriguing name is of Scottish origin, and is one of the variant forms that have gradually developed from the ancient personal name of "Gyloclery" or "Gillocher". The given name derives from the Gaelic "Gillechleire", composed of the elements "gille", servant, and "cleire", clergy, to mean "servant of the clergy". Many early Gaelic names in both Scotland and Ireland were similarly formed, such as the Scottish (Mac)Gille Easbuig, in Irish (Mac)Giolla Easbuig, "servant of the bishop" and the Scottish name Gilfillan, from Gille Fhaolain, "servant of (St.) Faolan". The early form of the personal name from "Gillechleire" is recorded as "Gyloclery" in a deed of 1171; he was father of Morgund Earl of Mar. The modern surname from this source can be found as Gilogl(e)y and Gillogl(e)y, and among the recordings in Scotland is that of the baptism of Robert, son of John and Elizabeth Gilogly, in Dumbarton, on November 1st 1869. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Morgund M'Gylochery, which was dated 1290, in the "Documents relating to Scotland in the Public Record Office", during the reign of Queen Margaret of Norway, Queen of Scotland, 1286 - 1290. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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