Geography
There were considerable numbers of Jillings in past centuries in Cornwall, Yorkshire, and East Anglia – mostly Suffolk, but some also in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. Some of those migrated to Essex, London, and abroad.
There was also a Dutch-speaking Jillings family in the Netherlands in the early 1600s: there are still Dutch-speaking Jillings there today. Whether they came from England or vice-versa remains to be seen. Some of the early records show the Dutch contingent as Jillens.
There were two main groups in Suffolk in the late 1700s: the “sailing/fishing” branch based around Lowestoft, and the “farming” branch based inland, particularly around Cratfield and Heveningham (near Halesworth) and Little Saxham/Ousden and Newmarket. I’m sure they are connected, but as yet I have no firm evidence.
The “fishing Jillings” are mostly registered in Mutford District in the 1800s; the “farming Jillings” in Blything District.
There are considerable numbers of Jillings in South Africa, Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Many of these can be traced back to their British origins.
There is a link on the left to maps showing the geographic distribution of Gillings and Jillings in the UK in 1881 and 1998.