Gil is a boy name with a rare feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Gil means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Gil across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Gil has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Gil is a boy name of Hebrew origin meaning “joy”. A short form of Gilbert, also a Hebrew name meaning joy.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 4,971 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 162 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Gil per year, United States (1914 to 2025). United States peaked in 1957 (124/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2011 (14/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2011 (3/yr).
Gil is an uncommon baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1957, when it ranked #1,572 nationally (given to 124 babies that year).
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