Jiles
An uncommon surname most likely linked to Giles, a long-established medieval personal name.
The #7,500 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 69,522 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Jiles is best understood as a variant spelling of Giles, a surname built from the medieval personal name Giles. That personal name comes through Old French from Latin Aegidius, originally a saint’s name. The ultimate sense is tied to the saint’s name rather than to a transparent modern-English meaning.
History
The historical record for Jiles is thin, and the excerpted Irish surname source only places it among other family names without explaining it further. In practice, spellings like Jiles often reflect local pronunciation or clerical variation of Giles and related forms. Because the name is uncommon, many modern bearers may descend from a small number of family lines rather than a single widespread origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the spelling is uncommon, Jiles can easily be mistaken in records for Giles, Jellis, or even Jiles-like variants created by handwriting and indexing errors.
From the historical record
“Jervois. JILES. JeUis. 274. 40. 972 973”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland