Show ContentsGil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Gil

What does the name Gil mean?

The distinguished surname Gil comes from Spain, a country rich in culture and history. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and the most common patronymic suffix is "ez." The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. Some names are derived from the saints of the Christian Church, but many Spanish surnames are derived from personal names of Germanic origin. The Visigoths, who ruled Spain between the mid-5th and early 8th centuries had a profound impact on the development of surnames.

Early Origins of the Gil family

The surname Gil was first found in the mountains of Santander, in the region of Cantabria, in the center north of the peninsula.

Early History of the Gil family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gil research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1200 is included under the topic Early Gil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gil Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gil, Gill, Gílez, Gilez, Gíldez, Gildez and others.

Early Notables of the Gil family

Prominent among members of the family

  • thirteenth century author Juan Gil de Zamora
  • thirteenth century nobleman Roy Gil de Villalobos
  • sixteenth century Spanish architect Juan Gil de Hontañón, creator of the Gothic cathedrals of Salamanca and Segovia
  • sixteenth century Spanish author Gaspar Gil Polo
  • nineteenth century Spanish novelist and poet Enrique Gil y Carrasco
  • nineteenth century Spanish actor and singer Bernardo Gil

Gil World Ranking

In the United States, the name Gil is the 2,114th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Gil is ranked the 534th most popular surname with an estimated 8,633 people with that name. 2 And in South America, the name Gil is the 75th popular surname with an estimated 63 people with that name. 3


Gil migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gil Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Antonio Gil, who settled in Chile in 1555
  • Ana Jimenez Gil, who arrived in New Spain in 1577
  • Andres Gil, who settled in New Spain in 1578
  • Bartolome Gil, who settled in New Granada in 1582
Gil Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Thomas Gil, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1763 4
Gil Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Vicente Gil, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1803 4
  • Martin Gil, who landed in America in 1812 4
  • Miguel Gil, who landed in America in 1813 4
  • Sebastian De Gil, who landed in America in 1813 4
  • Gonzalo Gil, who arrived in America in 1814 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gil Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Aniela Kaminska Gil, who settled in New York in 1912

Contemporary Notables of the name Gil (post 1700) +

  • Goa Gil (1951-2023), born Gilbert Levey, an American-born musician, DJ, and remixer
  • Luis Gil (b. 1993), American soccer player
  • Percy Bernard Gil, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Alabama, 2012 5
  • Guillermo Gil, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico, 1993-98 5
  • Francisco A. Gil Jr., American politician, U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico, 1958-69 5
  • Christian J. Gil, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Louisiana, 2012 5
  • Roberto Gil Esteve (1938-2022), Spanish professional football player and coach
  • Manrique Gil (1879-1968), Spanish actor and poet
  • Gregorio Jesús Gil y Gil (1933-2004), Spanish businessman and politician
  • José Antonio Garmendia Gil (b. 1932), Spanish humorist
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Victor Harold Gil, British Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 6


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. "List of most common surnames in South America." Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_common_surnames_in_South_America
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


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