Gillett

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family name of English origin, borne by various people over the centuries and sometimes used as a surname in other countries
2. An English surname, carried by many individuals in Britain, America and elsewhere, derived from a personal name or occupation
3. A common hereditary family name of English origin, passed down through generations of people in several English-speaking countries

Etymology: "Gillett" is a diminutive built from the given name Gill, which was itself a short form of Gillian (and of Juliana, from the Latin "Julianus"). The "-et" ending is a medieval diminutive suffix, the same one found in names such as "Jack" becoming "Jacket" in older usage, so the word essentially means "little Gill." Because it started as a personal name, "Gillett" functions primarily as a surname and a first name rather than as a common word. Its meaning is therefore not a description of an object or quality but a family or personal identity that grew out of a pet form of a woman's name.