So I’ve been thinking about [name_m]Gil[/name_m] a lot recently. I first decided I liked it after seeing it on the fish in ‘Finding [name_m]Nemo[/name_m]’ and my admiration of it has only grown since then It’s cute but rough and tumble at the same time, easy to imagine on a child and an adult and is familiar without being absurdly popular.
[name_f]My[/name_f] problem is that I prefer [name_m]Gil[/name_m] as a nickname but I’ve yet to find a longer name for it that I like just as much. I don’t mind [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m], there’s a clunkiness to it that I find quite appealing, but it still doesn’t feel like the one.
Other options I’ve found include*:
Gilliam
Gilleon
What’s your favourite long form of [name_m]Gil[/name_m]? Are there any others you can think of?
*I haven’t checked them for validity etc, they’ll be struck if they’re actually surnames etc.
According to Behind the Name, [name_m]Gil[/name_m] means “joy, happiness” in Hebrew. I do like that. [name_m]Gil[/name_m] is so quirky and bookish on its own; I rather like it.
[name_m]How[/name_m] open are you to getting creative with the full name? [name_m]Giles[/name_m] comes from the Latin Aegidius, which made me think of [name_m]Gideon[/name_m]. [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] nn [name_m]Gil[/name_m]?
Hmm, I’m not totally against it but I think it’d have to at least have the same letters like… [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] [name_m]Leo[/name_m] ([name_m]GiL[/name_m]) or something like that, but not just [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] alone.
Yeah, I do like it’s meaning by itself but it’s just so short! Lol.
I like [name_m]Gil[/name_m], but I really like [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m]. I think I first came across it in a WWII fiction novel I’ve read so it has a dashing, handsome fighter-pilot air about it for me I also really like the nn [name_u]Bertie[/name_u] for it. [name_m]Major[/name_m] GP.
Gilliam looks like a form of [name_m]William[/name_m], though I read it as ‘[name_f]Gillian[/name_f]’ at first Reminds me of [name_u]Terry[/name_u] Gilliam too. Gilleon looks even more like [name_f]Gillian[/name_f], sorry!
Looking through the 2012 boys list, I found Gillan and [name_m]Gilby[/name_m]. Or, if you’re up for a stretch, you could use [name_m]Giles[/name_m], [name_m]Virgil[/name_m], [name_m]Gideon[/name_m], [name_m]Fergal[/name_m] or [name_m]Dougal[/name_m]! Also, I suppose something like [name_m]George[/name_m] [name_m]William[/name_m] could work. And there’s always Gilderoy
I picture a very handsome, fit, rugged man that knows how to work hard. Like a rancher or cowboy. I have never heard of Gilliam but it has piqued my interest. The only longer “gill” names I can think of are [name_m]Nigel[/name_m], [name_m]Virgil[/name_m], [name_m]Giles[/name_m], [name_m]Gilmore[/name_m], and [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m].
I too think that [name_m]Gil[/name_m] is a great name! [name_f]My[/name_f] preference for longer form would be [name_m]Giles[/name_m] or [name_m]Gilbert[/name_m].
Gilleon and Gilliam are nice. I like [name_f]Gillian[/name_f] too.
I could definitely see [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] with the nn [name_m]Gil[/name_m].
I personally prefer just [name_m]Gil[/name_m]. It’s what you liked to begin with. I fell in love with [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] and thought that I needed a long formal name with [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] as the nickname. I didn’t fall in love with any of them. [name_f]Eloise[/name_f], [name_f]Elianna[/name_f], [name_f]Elisabeth[/name_f], Elory, [name_f]Ellen[/name_f], [name_f]Ella[/name_f]… They were all just okay. So I decided that I fell in love with simply [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], and that is what we are going to call her anyways so why not just name her that. Best decision I have ever made. I now have a gorgeous 8 year old named [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] [name_f]Bea[/name_f] (bee). Short first names have such a charm to them. If you really like [name_m]Gil[/name_m] re consider it on its own.
Hmm, just stumbled across Gillon and remembered I’d heard it before from the ‘[name_f]Indian[/name_f] in the Cupboard’ series as the name of the main character’s brother.
I can’t work out if it’s used in real life as a legitimate first name though or if the writer (who named the kids after her own sons) just commandeered a surname I hope it’s real, as I really like it.
I like [name_m]Gil[/name_m] too! It’s short but somehow not insignificant. If you want a longer name for the nickname, though, off the top of my head, there’s:
Gilroy, which means the king’s servant, and
Gilchrist, [name_m]Christ[/name_m]'s servant, second syllable with a short i, rhyming with mist.
[name_m]Both[/name_m] of those are Scottish Gaelic/Scots.
[name_m]Gilead[/name_m], others have mentioned. It’s a biblical reference and a lovely African American spiritual hymn.
[name_m]Gilad[/name_m] is a popular name in [name_m]Israel[/name_m], another scriptural reference, meaning endless joy.
I’m fond of [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] but I don’t get using [name_m]Gil[/name_m] as a nickname for it. I adore [name_m]Gideon[/name_m] and would love to use it but the only nickname for it that feels intuitive is [name_m]Deon[/name_m].
The names I most like as formal names for [name_m]Gil[/name_m] are definitely either [name_m]Gilad[/name_m] or [name_m]Gilead[/name_m].
It’s cute but rough and tumble at the same time, easy to imagine on a child and an adult and is familiar without being absurdly popular.
I also really like the nn [name_u]Bertie[/name_u] for it. [name_m]Major[/name_m] GP.
Reminds me of [name_u]Terry[/name_u] Gilliam too. Gilleon looks even more like [name_f]Gillian[/name_f], sorry! 
