Gilbert
Gilbert was the 1330th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 145 babies. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked 90th with 2,119 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 350 places. More babies were named Gilbert in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning bright pledge · Germanic, Old French
Say it GIL-bert /ˈɡɪlbɚt/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,330 boys, down 155 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 145boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19302,119 babies
- Total since 1880
- 130,821babies recorded
What does the name Gilbert mean?
Gilbert is a Germanic name from gīsal 'pledge, hostage' and beraht 'bright', as DMNES and Wiktionary note; the Normans brought it to England as Gislebert. DMNES notes English medieval pet forms such as Gib, the source of surnames like Gibson. Saint Gilbert of Sempringham founded the only English medieval monastic order. It was common in the US in the early 20th century.
gīsal (Old High German, “pledge, hostage”)beraht (Old High German, “bright”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Gil, Gibson, Gilberto, Bert.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean light.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Gilbert', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gilbert', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Gilbert
The usual nicknames for Gilbert are Gil and Bert. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Gilbert in the last five years, 15 were named Gil, against 12 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gil · also for Gilberto | Traditional | #4,917 | 118 |
| Bert · also for Robert, Albert, Herbert | Traditional | #10,866 | 42 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Gilberts go by each one.
Gilbert popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 673 since 1904.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,330 | 145 |
| 2020 | #1,175 | 164 |
| 2010 | #829 | 258 |
| 2000 | #527 | 419 |
| 1990 | #341 | 725 |
| 1980 | #262 | 832 |
| 1970 | #214 | 1,170 |
| 1960 | #175 | 1,788 |
| 1950 | #144 | 1,881 |
| 1940 | #124 | 1,531 |
| 1930 | #90 | 2,119 |
| 1920 | #97 | 1,763 |
| 1910 | #116 | 274 |
| 1900 | #146 | 145 |
| 1890 | #125 | 116 |
| 1880 | #134 | 101 |
How popular is Gilbert, counting every spelling?
Gilbert has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,259 for boys in 2025, against #1,330 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Gilbert?
145 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gilbert (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Gilbert 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 58 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gilbert.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gilbert?
About 60,700 people born in the US named Gilbert are alive today, with a median age of 60; half are between 41 and 72. That makes Gilbert a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Gilbert by state
How common Gilbert was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Arizona (2.8×), California (1.7×), Texas (1.7×). In 34 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 Gilbert: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gilbert, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Gilbert · Sibling names for Gilbert
Questions about the name Gilbert
What does Gilbert mean?
Gilbert means “bright pledge” (Germanic, Old French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gilbert?
Gilbert was the 1330th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 145 babies. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked 90th with 2,119 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 350 places. More babies were named Gilbert in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Gilbert a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Gilbert in the US.
Where is Gilbert most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gilbert was most common in Arizona (0.25 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and California.