GEORGEmEnglish, RomanianFrom the Greek name
Γεωργιος (Georgios) which was derived from the Greek word
γεωργος (georgos) meaning "farmer, earthworker", itself derived from the elements
γη (ge) "earth" and
εργον (ergon) "work". Saint George was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Palestine who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. Later legends describe his defeat of a dragon, with which he was often depicted in medieval art.
... [more] GEORGESmFrenchFrench form of
GEORGE. This name was borne by the French artists Georges Seurat (1859-1891) and Georges Braque (1882-1963).
GERAmBiblicalPossibly means "a grain" in Hebrew. This was the name of several members of the tribe of Benjamin in the Old Testament.
GERALDmEnglish, GermanFrom a Germanic name meaning "rule of the spear", from the elements
ger meaning "spear" and
wald meaning "rule". The Normans brought this name to Britain. Though it died out in England during the Middle Ages, it remained common in Ireland. It was revived in the English-speaking world in 19th century.
GERARDmEnglish, Dutch, Catalan, PolishDerived from the Germanic element
ger meaning "spear" combined with
hard meaning "brave, hardy". The Normans introduced this name to Britain. It was initially much more common than the similar name
Gerald, with which it was often confused, but it is now less common.
GERASIMOSmGreekDerived from Greek
γερας (geras) meaning either "old" or "honour". Saint Gerasimus was a 5th-century hermit.
GERBENmDutchDerived from the Germanic elements
ger meaning "spear" and
bern meaning "bear".
GEREONmGerman, Late RomanPossibly derived from Greek
γερων (geron) meaning "old man, elder". This was the name of a saint martyred in Cologne in the 4th century.
GERMANUSmAncient RomanRoman cognomen which meant "brother" in Latin. This was the name of several early saints.
GERONIMOmHistoryFrom
Gerónimo, a Spanish form of
JEROME. This is the better-known name of the Apache leader
Goyathlay (1829-1909). It was given to him by the Mexicans, his enemies.
GERSHOMmBiblical, Biblical HebrewProbably means "exile" in Hebrew, though the Bible explains that it derives from
גֵּר שָׁם (ger sham) meaning "a stranger there" (see Exodus 18:3). This is the name of a son of
Moses in the Old Testament.
GERVASIUSmAncient Germanic (Latinized)Probably a Latinized form of a Germanic name with a first element deriving from
ger "spear". Saint Gervasius was an early martyr from Milan whose remains were discovered in the 4th century.
GÉZAmHungarianFrom
Gyeücsa, possibly derived from a diminutive form of the Hungarian noble title
gyevü or
gyeü, itself from Turkic
jabgu. This was the name of a 10th-century leader of the Hungarians, the father of the first king
István.
GHASSANmArabicMeans "youth" in Arabic. This was the name of an Arabian tribe that existed until the 6th century.
GHISLAINmFrenchFrench form of
Gislenus, a Latinized form of the Germanic name
Gislin, derived from the element
gisil meaning "hostage" or "pledge". This was the name of a 7th-century Belgian saint.
GHULAMmArabic, Urdu, PashtoMeans "servant, boy" in Arabic. It is often used as the first part of compound names.
GIDEONmBiblical, English, HebrewMeans "feller, hewer" in Hebrew. Gideon is a hero and judge of the Old Testament. He led the vastly outnumbered Israelites against the Midianites, defeated them, and killed their two kings. In the English-speaking world,
Gideon has been used as a given name since the Protestant Reformation, and it was popular among the Puritans.
GILBERTmEnglish, French, Dutch, German, Ancient GermanicMeans "bright pledge", derived from the Germanic elements
gisil "pledge, hostage" and
beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it was common during the Middle Ages. It was borne by a 12th-century British saint, the founder of the religious order known as the Gilbertines.
GILCHRISTmScottishDerived from the Gaelic phrase
giolla Chríost meaning "servant of Christ".
GILEADmBiblicalFrom an Old Testament place name meaning "heap of witness" in Hebrew. This was a mountainous region east of the Jordan River. Besides being a place name, it is also borne by people in the Bible.
GILESmEnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Aegidius, which is derived from Greek
αιγιδιον (aigidion) meaning "young goat". Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker who came to southern France from Greece. He is regarded as the patron saint of the crippled. In Old French the name
Aegidius became
Gidie and then
Gilles, at which point it was imported to England.
GILGAMESHmSumerian Mythology, Semitic MythologyPossibly means "the ancestor is a hero", from Sumerian
𒉋𒂵 (bilga) meaning "ancestor" and
𒈩 (mes) meaning "hero, young man". This was the name of a Sumerian hero, later appearing in the Akkadian poem the 'Epic of Gilgamesh'. Gilgamesh, with his friend Enkidu, battled the giant Humbaba and stopped the rampage of the Bull of Heaven, besides other adventures. Gilgamesh was probably based on a real person: a king of Uruk who ruled around the 27th century BC.
GILLESPIEmScottishAnglicized form of Scottish
Gille Easbaig or Irish
Giolla Easpuig both meaning "servant of the bishop".
GILROYmIrish, ScottishFrom an Irish surname, either
Mac Giolla Ruaidh, which means "son of the red-haired servant", or
Mac Giolla Rí, which means "son of the king's servant".
GINOmItalianItalian short form of names ending in
gino.
GIOTTOmItalianPossibly from
Ambrogiotto, a diminutive of
AMBROGIO, or
Angiolotto, a diminutive of
ANGIOLO. This name was borne by Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), an Italian painter and architect.
GIOVANNImItalianItalian form of
Iohannes (see
JOHN). The Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) and the painter and sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) were two famous bearers of this name.
GIRISHAmHinduismMeans "lord of the mountain" in Sanskrit. This is a name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains.
GISBERTmGerman, Ancient GermanicFrom a Germanic name in which the second element is
beraht "bright". The first element is probably a shortened form of
gisil "pledge, hostage" (making it a variant of
GILBERT), though it could be related to Gallo-Celtic
gaiso "spear".
GIUSEPPEmItalianItalian form of
JOSEPH. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a military leader who united Italy in the 19th century.
GLÆDWINEmAnglo-SaxonOld English name derived from the elements
glæd "bright" and
wine "friend". This name was not actually recorded in the Old English era, though it is attested starting in the 11th century.
GLANVILLEmEnglish (Rare)From an English surname which was taken from a Norman place name which possibly meant "domain of (a person named) Gland" in Old French.
GLÁUCIOmPortuguesePortuguese form of the Roman cognomen
Glaucia, which was derived from Latin
glaucus "bluish grey", ultimately from Greek.
GLAWm & fWelshMeans "rain" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
GLEBmRussian, UkrainianRussian and Ukrainian form of the Old Norse name
Guðleifr, which was derived from the elements
guð "god" and
leifr "heir".
GLENNmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was derived from Gaelic
gleann "valley". A famous bearer of the surname was American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).
GLOOSCAPmNew World MythologyDerived from an Eastern Algonquian phrase meaning "man from nothing". Glooscap (or Gluskabe) was a hero involved in the creation myths of the Wabanaki people of eastern North America.
GLYNDWRmWelshFrom a Welsh surname which was originally derived from a place name meaning "valley water". This name is often given in honour of Owain Glyndwr, a 14th-century Welsh patriot who led a revolt against England.
GNAEUSmAncient RomanRoman praenomen, or given name, which is of unknown Etruscan meaning, though it may be related to Latin
naevus "birthmark". A famous bearer was Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey the Great, a Roman general of the 1st century BC.
GOBÁNmIrishEither means "little smith" from Irish
gobha "smith" combined with a diminutive suffix, or else derived from the name of the Irish god
GOIBNIU (which is also a derivative of
gobha).
GOCHAmGeorgianMeaning unknown, possibly from a Georgian dialectal word meaning "old man".
GODEHARDmAncient GermanicGermanic name derived from the elements
god "god" and
hard "hardy, brave". This was the name of an 11th-century saint who was a bishop of Hildesheim.
GODFREYmEnglishFrom the Germanic name
Godafrid, which meant "peace of god" from the Germanic elements
god "god" and
frid "peace". The Normans brought this name to England, where it became common during the Middle Ages. A notable bearer was Godfrey of Bouillon, an 11th-century leader of the First Crusade and the first ruler of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.
GODRICmAnglo-SaxonMeans "power of god", derived from Old English
god combined with
ric "power, rule". This name died out a few centuries after the Norman conquest.
GODWINEmAnglo-SaxonMeans "friend of god", derived from Old English
god combined with
wine "friend". This was the name of the powerful 11th-century Earl of Wessex, the father of King Harold II of England.
GOIBNIUmIrish MythologyDerived from Irish
gobha meaning "smith". This was the name of the Irish smith god, a provider of weapons for the Tuatha De Danann. He was also skilled at brewing beer.
GÖKHANmTurkishFrom Turkish
gök meaning "sky" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
GONZALOmSpanishFrom the medieval name
Gundisalvus, which was the Latin form of a Germanic name composed of the elements
gund "war" and
salv which is of unknown meaning.
GOPALAmHinduismMeans "cow protector" from Sanskrit
गो (go) meaning "cow" and
पाल (pala) meaning "guard, protector". This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna. This name was also borne by the 8th-century founder of the Pala Empire in Bengal.
GOPINATHAmHinduismMeans "leader of the gopis" in Sanskrit. This is another name of the Hindu god
Krishna, acquired because of his association with the gopis, who are cow-herding girls.
GORANmCroatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian (Rare)Means "mountain man", derived from South Slavic
gora "mountain". It was popularized by the Croatian poet Ivan Goran Kovačić (1913-1943), who got his middle name because of the mountain town where he was born.
GORDANmSerbian, Croatian, MacedonianDerived from South Slavic
gord meaning "dignified". This name and the feminine form Gordana were popularized by the publication of Croatian author Marija Jurić Zagorka's novel 'Gordana' (1935).
GORDIANmHistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Gordianus which meant "from Gordium", Gordium being the capital of Phrygia in Asia Minor. This is the name by which three Roman emperors are known.
GORDIEmEnglishDiminutive of
GORDON. A famous bearer was Canadian hockey star Gordie Howe (1928-2016).
GORDONmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname which was originally derived from a place name in Berwickshire meaning "spacious fort". It was originally used in honour of Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), a British general who died defending the city of Khartoum in Sudan.
GOREmEnglish (Rare)From an English surname meaning "triangular" (from Old English
gara), originally referring to someone who lived on a triangular piece of land. A famous bearer is American writer Gore Vidal (1925-).
GORONWYmWelsh, Welsh MythologyMeaning unknown. In the Mabinogion, a collection of tales from Welsh myth, he was the lover of
Blodeuwedd. He attempted to murder her husband
Lleu Llaw Gyffes but was himself killed.
GOROUmJapaneseFrom Japanese
五 (go) meaning "five" and
郎 (rou) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name for the fifth son. Different combinations of kanji are also possible.
GOTAMAmHinduismMeans "the best ox" from Sanskrit
गो (go) meaning "ox, cow" and
तम (tama) meaning "best". In Hindu texts this is the name of one of the Saptarshis, or seven sages. This name was also born by an early Indian philosopher who wrote the Nyaya Sutras.
GOTTFRIEDmGermanGerman form of
GODFREY. This name was borne by the 13th-century German poet Gottfried von Strassburg and the German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716), one of the inventors of calculus.
GOTTHILFmGerman (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
hilf "help". This name was created in the 17th century.
GOTTHOLDmGerman (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
hold "lovely". This name was created in the 17th century.
GOTTLOBmGerman (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
lob "praise". This name was created in the 17th century.
GOTTSCHALKmGerman (Archaic)Derived from the Germanic elements
god "god" and
scalc "servant". Saint Gottschalk was a (perhaps spurious) 11th-century prince of the Wends who was martyred by his brother-in-law.
GOVADmPersian MythologyMeans "wind" in Persian. This was the name of a Yazata (or angel) associated with the wind in Zoroastrianism.
GOYATHLAYmNative American, ApacheMeans "one who yawns" in Apache. This was the real name of the Apache leader
Geronimo (1829-1909), who fought against Mexican and American expansion into his territory.
GRADYmIrish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname which was derived from
Ó Grádaigh meaning "descendant of Grádaigh". The name
Grádaigh means "noble" in Gaelic.
GRAHAMmScottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname, originally derived from the English place name
Grantham, which probably meant "gravelly homestead" in Old English. The surname was first taken to Scotland in the 12th century by the Norman baron William de Graham. A famous bearer was Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish-Canadian-American inventor who devised the telephone.
GRANTmEnglish, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname which was derived from Norman French
grand meaning "great, large". A famous bearer of the surname was Ulysses Grant (1822-1885), the commander of the Union forces during the American Civil War who later served as president. In America the name has often been given in his honour.
GRATIANmHistoryFrom the Roman name
Gratianus, which meant "grace" from Latin
gratus. Saint Gratian was the first bishop of Tours (4th century). This was also the name of a Roman emperor.
GRAYm & fEnglishFrom an English surname meaning "grey", originally given to a person who had grey hair or clothing.
GRAYSONmEnglish (Modern)From an English surname meaning "son of the steward", derived from Middle English
greyve "steward".
GREGORmGerman, Scottish, Slovak, SloveneGerman, Scottish, Slovak and Slovene form of
GREGORY. A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
GREGORYmEnglishEnglish form of Latin
Gregorius, which was from the Late Greek name
Γρηγοριος (Gregorios), derived from
γρηγορος (gregoros) meaning "watchful, alert". This name was popular among early Christians, being borne by a number of important saints including Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus (3rd century), Saint Gregory the Illuminator (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nyssa (4th century), Saint Gregory of Nazianzus (4th century), and Saint Gregory of Tours (6th century). It was also borne by the 6th-century pope Saint Gregory I the Great, a reformer and Doctor of the Church, as well as 15 subsequent popes.
... [more]