Gillian
English feminine name that grew out of Julian, which comes from the Roman family name Julius; medieval England used Gillian widely.
Gillian in 2025
Gillian was given to 47 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 5,855th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 70,539 babies born.
The history of Gillian
Gillian reached its highest point in 1999, when 1,030 babies were given the name, ranking 582nd that year.
Across the 104 years of records since 1922, 16,127 babies have been named Gillian. Half of them were born before 1999, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Gillian by decade
| Decade | Babies named Gillian | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 8,869 |
| 1930s | 12 | 6,493 |
| 1940s | 128 | 3,366 |
| 1950s | 234 | 3,081 |
| 1960s | 758 | 1,594 |
| 1970s | 1,337 | 1,405 |
| 1980s | 2,399 | 1,187 |
| 1990s | 4,172 | 582 |
| 2000s | 5,503 | 623 |
| 2010s | 1,274 | 2,049 |
| 2020s | 305 | 5,382 |
Where Gillian is heading
Gillian has fallen 61% over the past decade, from 120 babies in 2015 to 47 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1999 peak — Gillian is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Gillian
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Gillian.