Girls' name · since 1922
Gillian
Since 1922, U.S. Social Security records show 16,059 babies named Gillian, peaking in 1999. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,223 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,308 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,059
- born since 1922
- 2000s
- peak decade
Gillian currently ranks #3308 among girls' names in America, with 16,059 babies recorded since 1922.
Gillian has 16,059 recorded births among girls since 1922, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3308 as of the latest data, more common than 81% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1922 to 2025.
- #1,223 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,308 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 16,059 born since 1922
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Gillian ranks #1,223 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,308 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 16,059 born since 1922, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,223 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,308 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,059
- born since 1922
- 2000s
- peak decade
Gillian's 16,059 recorded births place it above 98.3% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
47 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Gillian compares
16,059 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Gillian's all-time total is 43x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gillian | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,059 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,022 | 21 | 19,840 |
Gillian's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Gillian splits its recorded history at 1981: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1922 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1999 peak of 1,022 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Gillian popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1922–2025
- Peak year (1999)
- 1,022
- Annual births at peak, across 104 years of records
Gillian popularity over time - boys
68 total births recorded since 1978 (Gillian as boys' name)
Gillian by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (5,489 births, 34% of the file).
2000s was Gillian's strongest decade.
5,489 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 34% of all-time use.
Gillian births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 5
1920s
5 births
- 1930s 12
1930s
12 births
- 1940s 128
1940s
128 births
- 1950s 234
1950s
234 births
- 1960s 758
1960s
758 births
- 1970s 1,329
1970s
1,329 births
- 1980s
1980s
2,384 births
- 1990s
1990s
4,152 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,489 births
- 2010s 1,263
2010s
1,263 births
- 2020s 305
2020s
305 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 5,489 births (34% of all-time use).
How Gillian compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Gillian's total volume
Gillian by state
Where Gillian concentrates geographically, total births since 1922
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,821 | 11.3% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,781 | 11.1% |
| #3 | Texas | | 802 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 734 | 4.6% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 733 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 633 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 632 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 598 | 3.7% |
1,821 of 16,059 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Gillian appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gillian? ▼
Where does Gillian sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Gillian most popular? ▼
Where is Gillian most popular? ▼
How long has the name Gillian been used? ▼
What names are similar to Gillian? ▼
What to do with Gillian's data
- Gillian's decade-level peak was the 2000s (5,489 total births); usage has since declined to 305 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Gillians (1,821 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gillian
Nearby Names Like Gillian
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gillian
Compare Gillian side by side: Gillian vs Gilda Gillian vs Gilbert Gillian vs Gila
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gillian
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Gillian: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1999)
Similar record span (~103 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1922–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Gillian draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.