Gill in my family tree
1. English: from a short form of the given names Giles, Julian,
or William. In theory the name would have a soft initial when derived
from the first two of these, and a hard one when from William or from the
other possibilities discussed below. However, there has doubtless been much
confusion over the centuries, and the modern pronunciation can hardly be
taken as a reliable guide to the origin.
2. Northern English: topographic name
for someone who lived by a ravine or deep glen, Middle English gil, gill
(Old Norse gil
gill of a fish, also used in a transferred sense of a ravine). 3. Scots and
Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Gille (Scots), Mac Giolla (Irish),
patronymics from an occupational name for a servant or a short form of the various
personal names formed by attaching this element to the name of a saint. The
Old Norse personal name Gilli is probably of this origin,
and may lie behind some examples of the name in Northern England. 4. Scots and
Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac An Ghoill.
5. Dutch: cognate of Giles. 6. Jewish (Israeli): ornamental name from
Hebrew gil joy.
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