Gillian
- Gender
- Girl
- Origin
- Latin
- UK rank, 2025
- #4,276 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #3,295 for girls
Gillian is a girls' name of Latin origin. In 2025 it ranked 4,276th for girls in the UK (5 babies) and 3,295th for girls in the US (47 babies).
What does Gillian mean?
Latin
A female given name from Latin; Medieval variant of Julian and Juliana, revived and quite popular in Britain in the mid-twentieth century.
From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is Gillian a girl's or a boy's name?
Gillian is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 5 girls in the UK and 47 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Gillian in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 4,276th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 5 about 1 in 56,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 200% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 5 girls in the UK were named Gillian, making it the 4,276th most popular name for girls. Its busiest year was 1997, with 103 girls.
Half of all the girls named Gillian in the UK since 1996 were born between 1997 and 2003. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 4,200th in England and Wales.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1934 (#67), 1944 (#23), 1954 (#16), 1964 (#28) and 1974 (#65).
Gillian in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #4,276 |
| 2024 | 6 | #3,758 |
| 2023 | 4 | #4,915 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 5 | #4,148 |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 9 | #2,864 |
| 2016 | 6 | #3,788 |
| 2015 | 5 | #4,294 |
| 2014 | 3 | #5,920 |
| 2013 | 8 | #3,060 |
| 2012 | 6 | #3,881 |
| 2011 | 3 | #6,007 |
| 2010 | 7 | #3,308 |
| 2009 | 6 | #3,603 |
| 2008 | 9 | #2,663 |
| 2007 | 5 | #3,858 |
| 2006 | 12 | #1,987 |
| 2005 | 17 | #1,451 |
| 2004 | 17 | #1,399 |
| 2003 | 32 | #877 |
| 2002 | 25 | #990 |
| 2001 | 33 | #800 |
| 2000 | 51 | #590 |
| 1999 | 53 | #577 |
| 1998 | 66 | #497 |
| 1997 | 103 | #368 |
| 1996 | 97 | #380 |
How popular is Gillian in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 3,295th among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 47 about 1 in 34,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 25% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 47 girls in the US were named Gillian, making it the 3,295th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,061st. Its busiest year was 1999, with 1,022 girls. It first appears in the records in 1922.
2025 had fewer girls named Gillian than any year since 1960.
Half of all the girls named Gillian in the US since 1880 were born between 1986 and 2003, the years shaded on the chart below.
Gillian in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 47 | #3,295 |
| 2024 | 52 | #3,081 |
| 2023 | 51 | #3,181 |
| 2022 | 52 | #3,123 |
| 2021 | 51 | #3,157 |
| 2020 | 52 | #3,061 |
| 2019 | 59 | #2,814 |
| 2018 | 88 | #2,145 |
| 2017 | 81 | #2,283 |
| 2016 | 105 | #1,908 |
| 2015 | 120 | #1,743 |
| 2014 | 125 | #1,684 |
| 2013 | 120 | #1,725 |
| 2012 | 166 | #1,392 |
| 2011 | 188 | #1,266 |
| 2010 | 211 | #1,153 |
| 2009 | 251 | #1,037 |
| 2008 | 339 | #834 |
| 2007 | 366 | #790 |
| 2006 | 362 | #758 |
| 2005 | 420 | #659 |
| 2004 | 513 | #556 |
| 2003 | 638 | #467 |
| 2002 | 761 | #388 |
| 2001 | 863 | #348 |
| 2000 | 976 | #325 |
| 1999 | 1,022 | #303 |
| 1998 | 890 | #331 |
| 1997 | 659 | #395 |
| 1996 | 379 | #604 |
| 1995 | 221 | #867 |
| 1994 | 162 | #1,103 |
| 1993 | 176 | #1,042 |
| 1992 | 197 | #967 |
| 1991 | 208 | #921 |
| 1990 | 238 | #821 |
| 1989 | 263 | #747 |
| 1988 | 281 | #683 |
| 1987 | 265 | #692 |
| 1986 | 209 | #802 |
| 1985 | 234 | #737 |
| 1984 | 255 | #671 |
| 1983 | 227 | #727 |
| 1982 | 255 | #686 |
| 1981 | 222 | #743 |
| 1980 | 173 | #884 |
| 1979 | 174 | #878 |
| 1978 | 175 | #846 |
| 1977 | 162 | #884 |
| 1976 | 95 | #1,191 |
| 1975 | 100 | #1,155 |
| 1974 | 110 | #1,070 |
| 1973 | 139 | #897 |
| 1972 | 128 | #949 |
| 1971 | 121 | #1,021 |
| 1970 | 125 | #997 |
| 1969 | 127 | #943 |
| 1968 | 116 | #958 |
| 1967 | 84 | #1,155 |
| 1966 | 83 | #1,171 |
| 1965 | 82 | #1,187 |
| 1964 | 70 | #1,344 |
| 1963 | 61 | #1,429 |
| 1962 | 65 | #1,376 |
| 1961 | 51 | #1,579 |
| 1960 | 19 | #2,819 |
| 1959 | 35 | #1,880 |
| 1958 | 25 | #2,259 |
| 1957 | 31 | #1,956 |
| 1956 | 26 | #2,150 |
| 1955 | 29 | #1,977 |
| 1954 | 16 | #2,778 |
| 1953 | 19 | #2,430 |
| 1952 | 16 | #2,670 |
| 1951 | 19 | #2,313 |
| 1950 | 18 | #2,340 |
| 1949 | 23 | #2,012 |
| 1948 | 19 | #2,254 |
| 1947 | 22 | #2,088 |
| 1946 | 11 | #3,033 |
| 1945 | 13 | #2,457 |
| 1944 | 7 | #3,685 |
| 1943 | 10 | #3,039 |
| 1942 | 7 | #3,736 |
| 1941 | 9 | #3,028 |
| 1940 | 7 | #3,501 |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 6 | #3,845 |
| 1937 | 6 | #3,798 |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 5 | #5,007 |
Names like Gillian
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Emily, Francesca, Jessica, Abigail, Jasmine, Erin, Olivia, Zoe, Robyn, Molly, Fatima, Amber
Names related to Gillian
More Latin names
Oliver, Leo, Roman, Aurora, Florence, Mabel, Luna, Nora, Rosie, Emilia, Max, Nova, Lucy, Julian, Clara, Anthony
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Gillian: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/gillian, updated 20 October 2026.