[1] The name Gilleleje is made up from the combination of the obsolete Danish word gil, which is a crevice or cleft, and leje, which is a place where fishermen come in specific seasons to fish.

[citation needed] The earliest confirmed permanent residence in Gilleleje is in the early 16th century.

There were also found ceramics reminiscent of other finds, so the archeologists assumed that the culture layer was from the late 15th century.

Aside from the fishing, the taxes allowed people to grow various types of crops south of the town, such as wheat.

Most of the town was on the eastern side of the stream that came from Søborg ("Lakecastle" - ironically, the lake has since been drained and the castle is now a ruin) in the south and went out in the ocean just east of the drying grounds.

The shifting sand would bury boats and nets, and had to be shoveled away, delaying the real work somewhat.

Part of the eastern side of the town was even deserted as a few houses had gradually been buried under dunes.

The outer harbor was finished in 1902, and in 1916 Gilleleje was connected with Elsinore as the Hornbæk-Gilleleje section of the Hornbæk railway line was opened.

[3] At the same time, Gilleleje developed into a seaside resort that attracted a large number of holidaymakers every year.

At the turn of the century, the town thus contained a guest house, a bathing hotel, many villas, a sanatorium and recreation homes.

The Jews in Gilleleje were hidden on the church-loft, and the fishermen prepared for taking them across the sound to Sweden in their cutters.