ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1881 First Year 1952 Last Year 1896 Peak Year #813 Peak Rank 322 Total Count 41 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1894 First Year 1990 Last Year 1929 Peak Year #2002 Peak Rank 191 Total Count 27 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Gillie What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Gillie or ghillie is an ancient Gaelic term for a person who acts as a servant or attendant on a fishing, hunting, deer stalking or hawking expedition, primarily in the Scottish Highlands or on a river such as the River Spey. In origin it referred especially to someone who attended on behalf of his male employer or guests. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillie) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillie) 📜Etymology The origin of this word dates from the late 16th century, from the Scottish Gaelic gille , "lad, servant", cognate with the Irish giolla . Historically, the term was used for a Highland chief's attendant. A ghillie-weetfit , a term now obsolete (a translation of "gille-caisfliuch", from the Gaelic cos 'foot' or 'leg', and fliuch 'wet'), was the ghillie whose duty was to carry his master over streams. It became a term of contempt among the Lowlanders for the "tail" (as his attendants were called) of a Highland chief. [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Gillie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/The_Kinermoney_Ghillie_dealing_with_a_kelt_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1220920.jpg/330px-The_Kinermoney_Ghillie_dealing_with_a_kelt_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1220920.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillie) 📖 ## The Story of Gillie ### As a girl name Gillie first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1881, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1896, when 16 Gillies were born — ranking #813 that year. As of 2026, Gillie ranks #5,563 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 322 Gillies have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Gillie first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1894, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1929, when 15 Gillies were born — ranking #2,002 that year. As of 2026, Gillie ranks #8,115 for boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 191 Gillies have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Gillie Phonetically similar names — useful when Gillie is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Gilly](/gilly) * Ghillie * Gilley * Gully * Gally * Gulley * Gelly * Geli * Gelli * Gelee * Goalie * Golly Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Gillie What does the name Gillie mean? Gillie or ghillie is an ancient Gaelic term for a person who acts as a servant or attendant on a fishing, hunting, deer stalking or hawking expedition, primarily in the Scottish Highlands or on a river such as the River Spey. In origin it referred especially to someone who attended on behalf of his male employer or guests. How popular is Gillie in 2026? In 2026, Gillie ranks #5,563 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Gillie most popular? Gillie reached its peak popularity in 1896, ranking #813 that year with 16 babies given the name. Is Gillie a unisex name? Yes — Gillie is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 63% of Gillies assigned female and 37% assigned male historically. What names go well with Gillie? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Gillie include Alwina, Ivie, Beaulah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧AlwinaPeak #813](/alwina)[👧IviePeak #813](/ivie)[👧BeaulahPeak #813](/beaulah)[👧HazellePeak #813](/hazelle) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦LoweryPeak #2002](/lowery)[👦EmmersonPeak #2002](/emmerson)[👦TreavorPeak #2002](/treavor)[👦TavarusPeak #2002](/tavarus) ## About the name Gillie Gillie is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 322 births in the dataset. Gillie's peak popularity came in 1896 when it ranked #813\. Use the chart and map above to compare Gillie's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1896 → ](/year/1896) * [ Names of the 1890s → ](/decade/1890s) * [ Names starting with "G" → ](/letter/g) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.