Gile
Derived from the Greek word 'gelos', meaning 'laughter' or 'cheerful'.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Gile. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gile today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gile births was 1961 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gile. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Gile is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Giles were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gile. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1961
5 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1961 SSA rank
#4,285
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Gile: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gile by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gile during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gile
The name Gile originates from the Old French language, derived from the Germanic root word "gilu," which means "hostage" or "pledge." The earliest known use of the name dates back to the medieval period, around the 12th century.
In its original form, the name was spelled "Gile" or "Gyles," and it was commonly used in parts of France and England during the Middle Ages. The name may have been given to children born as a result of a hostage situation or as a pledge of allegiance between families or clans.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Gile was Gile de Corbeil, a French physician and scholar who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He was known for his medical treatises and contributions to the study of anatomy.
Another notable figure with the name Gile was Giles of Rome, also known as Giles of Viterbo, who was an Italian philosopher, theologian, and Archbishop of Bourges in the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the medieval scholastic tradition and wrote extensively on topics such as ethics, metaphysics, and political philosophy.
In the 14th century, there was Gile de Waterford, an Irish Franciscan friar and theologian who studied at the University of Oxford and wrote on various theological subjects.
During the 15th century, Giles of Vaux was a French composer and chorister who served at the court of King Charles VII of France. He is remembered for his contributions to the development of Renaissance music.
In the 16th century, Giles Fletcher the Elder was an English diplomat and poet who served as an ambassador to Russia. He is best known for his work "Of the Russe Commonwealth," which provided a detailed account of Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible.
While the name Gile has fallen out of common usage in modern times, its historical significance and connection to the medieval era make it a unique and intriguing name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Gile + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gile as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gile: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gile?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gile going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Gile a common name?
We classify Gile as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gile most popular?
The single biggest year for Gile was 1961, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gile is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gile in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gile a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gile in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gile still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gile in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gile can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Gile as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Gile on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.