in a way, they are the same. although: I give "present" to my love ones (family, wife, children) while, I give a "gift" to my colleagues, friends and co-workers. therefore, we give "presents" to whom we love or to whom we have an affection with. sometimes, a "gift" can also be a "reward" in which it can't be interchanged with "present". ex: "this is my gift for having earned a thousand points thru my credit card." ("present" can not be used here). :)

Hi... It is the same meaning... I think "gift" come from German and "present" come from France ...