UK boy's name
Gilead
A biblical place name meaning "hill of testimony" or "perpetual hill".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Gilead is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Gilead popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2009, with 3 births.
This profile covers 6 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2009 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 6 living people in the UK are called Gilead. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Gilead ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2009, when 3 boys were registered as Gilead.
- • About 6 living people in the UK are estimated to have Gilead as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4991
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2009
3 births
Estimated living
6
2026
Meaning
What does Gilead mean?
The name Gilead has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is a biblical name mentioned several times in the Old Testament of the Bible. The name is derived from the Hebrew words "gal'ed" which mean "rocky region" or "hill of testimony."
In the Bible, Gilead was a mountainous region located east of the Jordan River. It was known for its fertile lands and was considered a part of the Promised Land given to the Israelites by God. The name appears in several books of the Bible, including Genesis, Numbers, and Judges.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gilead is in the Book of Genesis, where it is mentioned as the place where Jacob and Laban set up a heap of stones as a witness to their covenant. The name is also associated with the Israelite tribe of Gad, who settled in the region of Gilead.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Gilead. One of the earliest was Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh, who is mentioned in the Book of Numbers. Another biblical figure with this name was Jephthah, a judge of Israel who is said to have been from Gilead.
In more recent times, Gilead has been used as a given name, although it is not as common as some other biblical names. One notable bearer of the name was Gilead Muraviev (1750-1793), a Russian general and statesman who served under Catherine the Great.
Other notable individuals named Gilead include Gilead A. Smith (1815-1900), an American politician and abolitionist; Gilead Bacon (1789-1859), an American missionary and educator; and Gilead Sher (born 1954), an Israeli lawyer and diplomat.
While the name Gilead is not as widely used today as it once was, it has a rich history and biblical significance that has been preserved throughout the centuries.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Gilead over time
The chart below shows babies named Gilead registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2009 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Gilead, the clearest high point is 2009. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gilead by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Gilead was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #4991 | 3 | 1 |
| 2000s | #4527 | 3 | 1 |
Related
Names similar to Gilead
- George 121,258
- Gabriel 20,581
- Grayson 7,636
- Gregory 2,925
- Guy 2,646
- Gareth 2,092
- Gethin 1,880
- Georgie 1,872
- Gary 1,575
- Gavin 1,422
- Giovanni 1,252
- Grant 1,199
FAQ
Gilead: questions and answers
How popular is the name Gilead in the UK right now?
In 2023, Gilead was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Gilead most popular?
The peak year on record was 2009, with 3 babies registered as Gilead in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Gilead?
A biblical place name meaning "hill of testimony" or "perpetual hill".
How many people are called Gilead in the UK?
A total of 6 babies have been registered as Gilead across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.