Gillett Family History
Gillett Name Meaning
English: when pronounced with a soft G (/dʒ/) it is usually from the Middle English (Old French) personal name Gillet Gilot Giliot or Geliot. These are diminutives of Gille or Gilly which are commonly pet forms of the (often female) name Gilian Gelian (see Gillian ). Gilot and Gillet are also probably pet forms of Giles . English (of Norman origin): when pronounced with hard G it is more likely from the Middle English personal name Gilot a borrowing of Old French Guillot a pet form of Guillaume (see William ) and a doublet of Willett . English: habitational name from one or other of the numerous minor places called Gillhead such as those in the parishes of Matterdale Moresby Castle Sowerby and Westward (all Cumberland) formed from Middle English gil(le) ‘ravine narrow valley’ (Old Norse gil) + hed heved ‘head’. This would become Gillett with hard g. English: sometimes perhaps a variant of Gillard . Altered form of French Gillet (usually) reflecting the Canadian and American French practice of sounding the final -t. Compare Gillette .
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022
