Gilly as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Gilly

What is the meaning of the name Gilly ?

The baby name Gilly is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced GIL-ee (IPA: /ˈɡɪli/).

Gilly is in Origin.

Gilly is an English pet form used for both sexes, chiefly from Gillian/Jillian and Gilbert, and sometimes from Giles; it can also echo Scottish Gaelic gille meaning "servant" or "lad," source of the term gillie. From Gillian/Jillian (the medieval English forms of Juliana/Julian) it carries the sense "youthful" or "of the Julian family"; from Gilbert it yields "bright pledge." A secondary association is the gillyflower, adding a gentle, vintage, botanical note.

The nickname appears in Britain since the Middle Ages for bearers of Gillian/Julian; as an independent given name it surfaces in the 19th–20th centuries in Britain and the Commonwealth, remaining rare in the U.S. Literary and pop-culture bearers include Katherine Paterson’s heroine in The Great Gilly Hopkins and Game of Thrones’ Gilly. Spellings and related forms include Gillie, Gilley, and Gili (Hebrew, "my joy"), the last typically considered a distinct name. Formal alternatives: Gillian, Jillian, Gilbert, Giles. Common nicknames: Gil, Jill.