Gilbert
Boy nameGilbert has been given to 130,821 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1930.
Meaning & origin /ˈɡɪlbɚt/
From Old French Gislebert, from Proto-Germanic *Gīslaberhtaz, from *gīslaz (“pledge”) + *berhtaz (“bright, famous”).
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
130,821
Peak year
1930 (2,138 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -31%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Rank through the decades
Gilbert's rank among U.S. boy names at 25-year milestones.
| Year | Boys rank |
|---|---|
| 1900 | #146 |
| 1925 | #105 |
| 1950 | #144 |
| 1975 | #235 |
| 2000 | #527 |
— means outside the top 1000 that year.
Spellings & variants
Names one letter away from Gilbert — alternate spellings parents actually use.
Famous people named Gilbert
G. K. Chesterton
English author and Christian apologist (1874–1936)
Gilbert Gottfried
American stand-up comedian (1955–2022)
Gilbert N. Lewis
American physical chemist
Gilbert Ryle
British philosopher
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Gilbert.
FAQ
How popular is the name Gilbert?
Gilbert has been given to 130,821 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It ranked below the top 1000 in 2025.
When did the name Gilbert peak?
Gilbert peaked in 1930, when 2,138 babies were given the name.
Is Gilbert a girl or boy name?
Gilbert is primarily a boy name (99% of babies named Gilbert are boys).
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