Jillian
Jillian was the 1266th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 177 babies. Its best year was 1982, when it ranked 96th with 3,056 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 826 places. More babies were named Jillian in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Gillian, from Juliana · Latin, English
Say it JIL-ee-un /ˈdʒɪliən/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,266 girls, down 309 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 177girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19823,056 babies
- Total since 1880
- 83,424babies recorded
What does the name Jillian mean?
Jillian is a spelling of Gillian, the medieval English form of Juliana, the feminine of Julian ("belonging to Julius"). DMNES notes that Juliana was much more common than Julian in medieval England. The Roman family name Julius is of uncertain origin: the Romans linked it with a Greek word for "downy-bearded", and a link with the god Jupiter (Jove) has also been suggested, but neither is proven. Gillian was revived in Britain in the 20th century, and the J spelling is the more common one in the US.
Juliana (Latin, “feminine of Julianus, "of Julius"”)
How sure is this? Well established. Jillian is clearly a form of Gillian and Juliana; the meaning of the underlying Roman name Julius is uncertain.
Related names: Gillian, Jill, Juliana, Julian, Jillianne.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jillian', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gillian', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Juliana', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Julius', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Jillian', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Jillian
The usual nicknames for Jillian are Jill. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Jillian in the last five years, 10 were named Jill, against 6 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jill | Traditional | #5,810 | 106 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Jillians go by each one.
Jillian popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 227 since 1977.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,266 | 177 |
| 2020 | #957 | 267 |
| 2010 | #169 | 1,820 |
| 2000 | #120 | 2,779 |
| 1990 | #122 | 2,676 |
| 1980 | #171 | 1,650 |
| 1970 | #1,395 | 75 |
| 1960 | #3,572 | 13 |
| 1950 | #4,986 | 6 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jillian, counting every spelling?
Jillian has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,203 for girls in 2025, against #1,266 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Jillian?
177 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jillian (0.05 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Jillian born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 47 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jillian.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jillian?
About 81,300 people born in the US named Jillian are alive today, with a median age of 31; half are between 22 and 40. That makes Jillian mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jillian by state
How common Jillian was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Indiana (2.3×), Missouri (2.1×), Massachusetts (2.1×), Ohio (1.9×), Virginia (1.8×). In 23 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jillian: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jillian, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Jillian · Sibling names for Jillian
Questions about the name Jillian
What does Jillian mean?
Jillian means “variant of Gillian, from Juliana” (Latin, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Jillian?
Jillian was the 1266th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 177 babies. Its best year was 1982, when it ranked 96th with 3,056 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 826 places. More babies were named Jillian in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Jillian a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Jillian in the US.
Where is Jillian most popular?
In 2021–2025, Jillian was most common in Indiana (0.31 per 1,000 girls), followed by Missouri and Massachusetts.