Gillian
Meaning
“English variant of Juliana/Julian, from Latin Julius, 'youthful'”
Gillian around the world
One shared root links 13 names across 5 languages.
Shared root: the Roman family name Iulius, of debated sense, linked since antiquity to Jove and to "downy-bearded", flowing through Julian and Juliana into a wide medieval family
The constellation
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Gillian peaked in the 2000s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
250 people · the #21,706 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 32
Among people named Gillian living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Gillian
Most people given the name Gillian in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Gillian you meet today is most often in her 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Gillian deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Gillian truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Gillian fits with your family’s names and surname.
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