| Meaning | From Saint Gilles — from Greek Aegidius, meaning goat or kid |
| Origin type | From saint's name |
| Popularity | Common in northern France and French Canada |
| Regions | Normandy, Picardy, Île-de-France |
| Variants | Gille, Gillet, Gillot, Gilet |
| Notable bearers | Saint Gilles (hermit saint); Gilles de Rais (infamous medieval knight) |
Gilles derives from the Latin Aegidius, itself from the Greek aigidios — relating to the goat or a shield made of goatskin. The name was borne by Saint Gilles (Saint Aegidius), a seventh-century hermit who lived in southern France and became the patron saint of cripples, beggars, and blacksmiths. His cult was widespread in medieval France, making Gilles a popular baptismal name and eventually a hereditary surname.
In medieval French popular culture, Gilles became a stock character — the naive, bumbling peasant of farce and commedia dell'arte. The name carried both sacred and comic connotations simultaneously, reflecting the complexity of medieval naming traditions.
Gilles de Rais (1404–1440), the Breton knight and former companion of Joan of Arc who was executed for terrible crimes, gave the name a dark historical shadow that persisted for centuries. Despite this, Gilles remained a common baptismal name in France.
Gilles is found in French-Canadian records from the earliest colonial period. The diminutive Gillet is also common in Quebec. The name spread through Normandy and Picardy with migration to New France, and appears in Acadian records as well.
In English-speaking contexts, Gilles rarely anglicised — it retained its French form in Quebec and other French-Canadian communities. The related form Gill, however, appears in both French and English naming traditions with different etymological roots.
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