Total births
16,059
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.
- #3089
- among girls today
- 16,059
- born since 1922
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other girls
Gillian currently ranks #3089 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 #3089 as of the latest data, more common than 83% 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.
- #3089 among girls today
- 16,059 born since 1922
- 2000s peak decade
- 83% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Gillian is currently the #3089 girls' name in America, more common than 83% of girls - 16,059 born since 1922, peaking in the 2000s.
- #3089
- among girls today
- 16,059
- born since 1922
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 83%
- more common than other girls
Gillian vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#3089
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 83% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
34% of everyone ever named Gillian was born in this single decade.
1999
Single peak year
1,022 babies were named Gillian in 1999 - its busiest year on record.
How Gillian compares
16,059 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,726 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 42x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gillian | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,059 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,022 | 48 | 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 at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1999
Current rank
#3,089
Active since
1922
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
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% |
California share of Gillian's total US births 11.3%
Even split
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? ▼
16,059 babies have been named Gillian since 1922. It currently ranks #3089 among girls. The peak year was 1999 with 1,022 births.
When was Gillian most popular? ▼
Gillian was most popular in the 2000s decade with 5,489 total births. The single peak year was 1999.
Where is Gillian most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gillian are California (1,821 births), New York (1,781 births), Texas (802 births).
How long has the name Gillian been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Gillian since 1922 -- 104 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Gillian? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Gilda, Gilbert, Gila, Gilberta, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Gilda Girl
#9586 10,078 births
Gilbert Girl
673 births
Gila Girl
#10365 640 births
Gilberta Girl
559 births
Gillie Girl
321 births
Compare Gillian side by side: Gillian vs Gilda Gillian vs Gilbert Gillian vs Gila
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gillian
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gillian: #3089 Girls' Name - 16,059 Births, Peak 1999." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gillian. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.