Gillian

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Girl · Latin

Gillian

Say it: JIL-ee-un

Try it with your surname

Meaning

The medieval English form of Juliana, feminine of Julianus.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

So common in medieval England that 'Jill' became a byword for any girl, as in Jack and Jill.

Its wave through time

A fashion of the 1990s

In the United States

15,873 babies given this name since 1922
At its height in 1999, about 1 in 1,700 girls
52 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

The family of the name

Other spellings: Jillian, Julian, Jill

Latin	Juliana
French	Julienne

Names worth a look

MargeryGirlA medieval English form of Margaret, through Old French Margerie; ultimately from Greek margaritēs 'pearl'.Middle Ages · peak 1921 · forgotten

UrsulaGirlFrom Latin ursula 'little she-bear'.Middle Ages · peak 1901 · forgotten

GemmaGirlFrom Italian gemma 'gem, jewel' (also 'bud').Middle Ages · peak 2019

MaudGirlMedieval English vernacular form of Matilda, from Germanic maht 'might' and hild 'battle'.Middle Ages · peak 1883

SusannaGirlHebrew Shoshannah, 'lily' (or lotus), probably from an Egyptian word for the lotus flower.Biblical · peak 1886

SybilGirlFrom Greek sibylla, the word for a prophetess of the ancient world; the origin of the Greek word itself is unknown.Middle Ages · peak 1919 · forgotten

JulianGirl or boyFrom Latin Julianus, from the Roman family name Julius, whose meaning is uncertain.Middle Ages · peak 2019

JulianaGirlFeminine of Julianus, derived from Julius.Rome · peak 2012

Where this comes from

English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
Parish baptism registers
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.