Gil
A Slavic word before a name: in Polish, gil is the red-breasted bullfinch that turns up in winter gardens, while a Jewish reading gives it "joy". Around 240 people in Poland carry it, most of them men, so meeting one stays memorable.
Gil Pronunciation
Gil is pronounced GEEL (/gil/).
What Gil means
Where Gil comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Gil begins as a Slavic word before it is a name. In Polish it names the bullfinch, the round red-breasted bird that shows up in winter gardens, Pyrrhula pyrrhula in the field guides. So a Polish ear hears feathers first, a small bright visitor against the snow. Gardeners tend to dislike it, since it strips buds from the fruit trees.
The name also carries a Jewish association, where Gil means joy and gladness. That reading travels alongside the Polish word, so the same three letters hold a winter bird on one side and happiness on the other. Neither cancels the other out.
Gil stays short. It takes no diminutive and no separate feminine form, so a class register lists it plain. On an urząd form it fits in a small box.
A red breast on the snow, and a word for joy: the name manages with only three letters.
How many people are named Gil
1 in 102626 men in Poland is named Gil. 240 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #2002 among male names.
Gil as a middle name
Gil is a first name for 240 men in Poland and a middle name for another 31, an 89/11 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 1505th, between Fred (31) and Hamed (31).
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#1503 Finn31
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#1504 Fred31
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#1505 Gil31
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#1506 Hamed31
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#1507 Henricus31