Gauge
Gauge was the 4073rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 26 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 722nd with 327 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,193 places. More babies were named Gauge in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Gage) measure; or pledge (English surname) · English, French
- Rank in 2025
- #4,073 boys, down 2,320 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 26boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2009327 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,821babies recorded
What does the name Gauge mean?
Gauge is a spelling of Gage, pronounced the same way, so it shares Gage's meaning and origin.
Gage is an English occupational surname. Wiktionary gives two sources: Middle English gage, a measure, for an assayer who checked weights and measures, or gage, a pledge, for a moneylender. The American Heritage Dictionary traces gauge to an Old North French word of Germanic origin. As a modern boys' name Gage has been used in the US since 1914 and was most common in the early 2000s.
gage (Middle English, “measure; pledge”)
How sure is this? Probable. Two possible occupational senses.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gage' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'gauge' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Gauge popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,073 | 26 |
| 2020 | #1,753 | 88 |
| 2010 | #757 | 297 |
| 2000 | #1,630 | 72 |
| 1990 | #6,674 | 7 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gauge, counting every spelling?
Gauge is a spelling of Gage, a name family that ranked #857 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,073 for Gauge on its own. Together these spellings went to 269 boys in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Gauge?
26 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gauge (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Gauge born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 323 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gauge.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gauge?
About 4,800 people born in the US named Gauge are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 12 and 20. That makes Gauge mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Gauge by state
How common Gauge was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 47 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Gauge: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gauge, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Gauge
What does Gauge mean?
Gauge is a spelling of Gage, which means “measure; or pledge (English surname)” (English, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Gauge?
Gauge was the 4073rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 26 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 722nd with 327 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,193 places. More babies were named Gauge in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Gauge a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Gauge in the US.
Where is Gauge most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gauge was most common in Washington (0.03 per 1,000 boys), followed by Texas and North Carolina.