Given name
Jillian
“one who is youthful”·“jack and Jill”
In English use, Jillian is a variant of Gillian. One Latin interpretation is “one who is youthful.” In English use, Jillian has a related form in Jill. One interpretation is “jack and Jill.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Jillian carries the interpretation “one who is youthful.” In English use, Jillian is a variant of Gillian. One Latin interpretation is “one who is youthful.” In English use, Jillian has a related form in Jill. One interpretation is “jack and Jill.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
Jillian is used as a form of Gillian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1944. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Jillian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 83,424
- 227 boys · 83,197 girls
- Most popular year
- 1982
- 3,070 babies
- 2025
- 177
- #1,266 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −49%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 177 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,266 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 48.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 3,056 in 1982. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 78,761 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jillian’s family of names
In English usage, Jillian has a diminutive in Jilly. In English usage, Jillian has a related form in Jill. In English usage, Jillian has a related form in Gillian.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Jillian
- BanksAmerican singer (born 1988)
- Jillian BellAmerican actress and comedianborn 1984
- Jillian HallAmerican professional wrestlerborn 1980
- Jillian Murrayactressborn 1984
- Jillian Rose ReedAmerican actress (born 1991)
- Jill TalleyAmerican actressborn 1962
- Jillian MichaelsAmerican personal trainer, reality show personality, actress, talk show host and entrepreneurborn 1974
- Jillian RichardsonCanadian sprinterborn 1965
- Jillian ArmenanteAmerican actressborn 1968
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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