Gillian
Gillian Origin and Meaning
Gillian is a name that was in common usage in Great Britain until the 1970s, when it dropped out of the Top 100 and is yet to return. Until recently, it had not crossed the Atlantic in significant numbers, except in the short form Jill.
In medieval England, the name Gillian was so common that it was used as a generic name for a girl, just as Jack was for a boy, hence the nursery rhyme Jack and J(G)ill and the expression "every Jack has his Jill." The high profile of actress Gillian The X Files Anderson did a lot to publicize the name in the US -- where it is more often spelled the phonetic Jillian.
Two other noteworthy bearers are Australian film director Gillian Armstrong and Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn. Gillian Boardman is a key character in Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land.
- Gillian Rank in US Top 1000
- Gillian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
- Names Similar to Gillian
- Famous People Named Gillian
- Gillian in Pop Culture
Gillian Rank in US Top 1000
Gillian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
Gillian Popularity
- 834Nameberry2024
20 Names Similar to Gillian
Famous People Named Gillian
- Gillian Leigh AndersonAmerican actress
- Gillian May ArmstrongAustralian film director
- Gillian Howard WelchAmerican singer,songwriter (pronounced "GILL,ian" hard G)
- Gillian MacLaren JacobsAmerican actress (pronounced "GILL,ian" hard G)
- Gillian BlakeneyAustralian actress; twin sister Gayle Blakeney
- Gillian MurphyAmerican ballerina
- Gillian WearingEnglish conceptual artist
- Gillian Schieber FlynnAmerican novelist (pronounced "GILL,ian" hard G)
- Gillian VigmanAmerican comic actress
- Gillian McKeithScottish TV presenter
- Gillian Chung (Yantung) (born Chung Dik,san), Hong Kong singer and actress
Gillian in Pop Culture
- Gillian Hewleycharacter in video game "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII"
- Gillian Stevenscharacter in film "Hollywood North"
- Gillian Boardmancharacter in "Stranger in a Strange Land" (1961)
- Gillian MacAllistercharacter in "Gillian" by Frank Yerby
- Gillian Owenssister of Sally Owens, character in book/film "Practical Magic"
- Gillian Buttershawcharacter in BBC's "Last Tango in Halifax"
- Gillian Redmondcharacter on TV's Call the midwife
- Gillian Taylorwhale doctor in the 1986 film Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home