From Greek 'aigidion' meaning 'young goat,' popularized by the medieval French saint Saint-Gilles.
Giles is an English name derived from the Medieval Latin Aegidius, which in turn comes from the Greek 'aigidion,' meaning young goat or kid — related to 'aigis,' the mythological goatskin shield of Athena and Zeus. The name thus carries a surprising zoological root beneath its very English exterior, though its sound and feel have long since shed any barnyard associations in favor of bookish, somewhat patrician dignity. The soft 'j' sound at its opening and the flowing '-iles' ending give it a gentle, scholarly air.
The name was popularized throughout medieval Europe largely through the veneration of Saint Giles (Saint Aegidius), a hermit saint of the 7th or 8th century who, according to legend, lived in a forest near Nîmes in southern France, sustained by the milk of a hind (female deer). When a king hunting the deer shot an arrow that accidentally wounded Giles instead, the king was so moved that he founded a monastery at the site. Saint Giles became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and the patron saint of cripples, beggars, lepers, and nursing mothers.
Hundreds of churches across England and Europe were dedicated to him — most famously St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh and the parish of St Giles-in-the-Fields in London, which gave its name to one of the city's most historic neighborhoods. In English literature and culture, Giles has long suggested a certain mild, donnish character — learned, slightly eccentric, reliably decent. The name was common in England through the Tudor period and remained in gentle circulation through the 20th century. Today it is considered a classic English name with a pleasingly unpretentious quality: recognizable but not overused, with centuries of quiet distinction behind it.