Gemma
Gemma was the 170th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,805 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 99 places. More babies were named Gemma in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning gem, jewel · Latin, Italian
Say it JEM-uh /ˈdʒɛmə/
- Rank in 2025
- #170 girls, up 38 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,805girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,805 babies
- Total since 1880
- 26,042babies recorded
What does the name Gemma mean?
Gemma is Latin and Italian gemma, 'gem, precious stone', and also 'bud'; DMNES and Wiktionary agree. DMNES records Gemma in medieval English Latin documents. DMNES notes that in England it could also be a feminine form of James, and Wiktionary links the spelling Jemma with James. Wikipedia notes it was among the most popular girls' names in England and Scotland in the 1980s.
gemma (Latin, “gem, jewel; bud”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Jemma, Gem, Gemima, James.
See also: Latin names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Gemma', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gemma', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Gemma (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Gemma popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #170 | 1,805 |
| 2020 | #208 | 1,388 |
| 2010 | #451 | 683 |
| 2000 | #1,654 | 107 |
| 1990 | #2,108 | 62 |
| 1980 | #2,201 | 46 |
| 1970 | #2,727 | 26 |
| 1960 | #1,934 | 35 |
| 1950 | #1,437 | 41 |
| 1940 | #1,808 | 20 |
| 1930 | #2,141 | 16 |
| 1920 | #1,484 | 30 |
| 1910 | #2,244 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gemma, counting every spelling?
Gemma is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #184 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #170 for Gemma on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,901 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gemma | 1,805 | #170 | 8,040 |
| Gema | 96 | #1,996 | 549 |
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 Gemma?
1,805 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gemma (0.50 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Gemma 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gemma.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gemma?
About 25,100 people born in the US named Gemma are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 14. That makes Gemma a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Gemma by state
How common Gemma was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (2.9×), Maine (2.2×), Nebraska (2.2×), Connecticut (2.1×), Utah (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Gemma: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gemma, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Gemma · Sibling names for Gemma
Questions about the name Gemma
What does Gemma mean?
Gemma means “gem, jewel” (Latin, Italian origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gemma?
Gemma was the 170th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,805 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 99 places. More babies were named Gemma in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Gemma a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Gemma in the US.
Where is Gemma most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gemma was most common in District of Columbia (2.87 per 1,000 girls), followed by Maine and Nebraska.