Boy · Greek, through Latin
Gilles
Say it: ZHEEL
Meaning
From Latin Aegidius, probably from Greek aigidion 'young goat'.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Common since the Middle Ages and popular in mid-20th-century France.
Its wave through time
Rare in the records
In the United States
- 358 babies given this name since 1923
- At its height in 1928, about 1 in 85,200 boys
- Fewer than 5 babies a year in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
| English | Giles |
|---|---|
| Italian | Egidio |
| Spanish | Gil |
| Latin | Aegidius |
Famous bearers
- Saint Giles (Gilles), hermit
- Gilles Deleuze, philosopher
- Gilles Vigneault, Québécois singer-poet
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Paris tax rolls of the 1290s
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- National birth statistics of European countries source
- Calendars of saints and name days
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.