Gilbert m English, 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 English saint, the founder of the religious order known as the Gilbertines.
Gilchrist m ScottishDerived from the Gaelic phrase
giolla Chríost meaning
"servant of Christ".
Gilead m BiblicalFrom 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.
Giles m EnglishFrom the Late Latin name
Aegidius, which is derived from Greek
αἰγίδιον (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.
Gilgamesh m Sumerian 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.
Gillespie m ScottishAnglicized form of Scottish
Gille Easbaig or Irish
Giolla Easpuig both meaning
"servant of the bishop".
Gilroy m Irish, 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".
Gino m ItalianItalian short form of names ending in
gino.
Gintautas m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
ginti meaning "to defend" and
tauta meaning "people, nation".
Gioachino m ItalianItalian form of
Joachim. A famous bearer was the Italian composer Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868).
Giotto m Italian (Rare)Possibly 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.
Giovanni m ItalianItalian form of
Iohannes (see
John). This name has been very common in Italy since the late Middle Ages, as with other equivalents of
John in Europe. The Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini (1430-1516) and the painter and sculptor Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) were two famous bearers of the name.
Girisha m HinduismMeans
"lord of the mountain" in Sanskrit. This is a name of the Hindu god
Shiva, given because of his abode in the Himalayan Mountains.
Gisbert m German, 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".
Giuseppe m ItalianItalian form of
Joseph. Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-1882) was a military leader who united Italy in the 19th century.
Givi m GeorgianMeaning unknown, possibly from Persian
گیو (Giv), the name of a hero from the 10th-century epic the
Shahnameh.
Glædwine m Anglo-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.
Glanville m English (Rare)From an English surname that was taken from a Norman place name, which possibly meant
"domain of (a person named) Gland" in Old French.
Gláucio m PortuguesePortuguese form of the Roman cognomen
Glaucia, which was derived from Latin
glaucus "bluish grey", ultimately from Greek.
Glaw m & f WelshMeans
"rain" in Welsh. This is a modern Welsh name.
Gleb m Russian, UkrainianRussian and Ukrainian form of the Old Norse name
Guðleifr, which was derived from the elements
guð "god" and
leifr "heir".
Glenn m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that was derived from Gaelic
gleann "valley". A famous bearer of the surname was American astronaut John Glenn (1921-2016).
Glooscap m New 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.
Glyndwr m WelshFrom a Welsh surname that 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.
Gnaeus m Ancient 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.
Gobán m IrishEither 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).
Gocha m GeorgianMeaning unknown, possibly from a Georgian dialectal word meaning
"old man".
Godehard m Ancient 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.
Godfrey m EnglishFrom 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.
Godric m Anglo-SaxonMeans
"god's ruler", derived from Old English
god combined with
ric "ruler, mighty". This name died out a few centuries after the Norman Conquest.
Godwine m Anglo-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.
Godzilla m Popular CultureFrom Japanese
ゴジラ (Gojira), a blend of
ゴリラ (gorira) meaning "gorilla" and
鯨 (kujira) meaning "whale". This is the name of a massive reptilian monster from a series of Japanese movies, starting 1954.
Goemon m HistoryMeaning unknown. His name is composed of the kanji
五 (go) meaning "five",
右 (not pronounced) meaning "right-hand, west",
衛 (e) meaning "guard, protect", and
門 (mon) meaning "gate, door". This was the name of a semi-legendary 16th-century samurai who stole from the rich to give to the poor. After a failed assassination attempt on the daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he was boiled alive.
Gohar f & m Persian, Armenian, UrduFrom Persian
گوهر (gohar) meaning
"jewel, gemstone". This name is typically feminine in Iran and Armenia, but masculine in Pakistan.
Goibniu m Irish 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.
Gökhan m TurkishFrom Turkish
gök meaning "sky" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
Goku m Literature, Popular CultureJapanese calque of
Wukong, referring to the Monkey King. Starting in 1984 it was used by Akira Toriyama for the hero in the
Dragon Ball manga, and subsequently in several animated television series and video games.
Gollum m LiteratureThe name of a villainous creature in J. R. R. Tolkien's novel
The Hobbit (1937). The book explains he was named Gollum from the swallowing sound he made in his throat. The sequel
The Lord of the Rings (1954) tells that he was originally a hobbit named
Sméagol.
Gonzalo m SpanishFrom the medieval name
Gundisalvus, which was the Latin form of a Germanic name composed of
gund meaning "war" and a second element of unknown meaning (with the spelling influenced by Latin
salvus "safe"). Saint Gonzalo was an 11th-century bishop of Mondoñedo in Galicia, Spain.
Gopala m HinduismMeans
"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.
Gopinatha m HinduismMeans
"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.
Goran m Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian, Bulgarian (Rare)Means
"mountain man", derived from South Slavic
gora meaning "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.
Gordan m Serbian, CroatianDerived 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).
Gordian m HistoryFrom the Roman cognomen
Gordianus meaning
"from Gordium", Gordium being the capital of Phrygia in Asia Minor. This is the name by which three Roman emperors are known.
Gordie m EnglishDiminutive of
Gordon. A famous bearer was Canadian hockey star Gordie Howe (1928-2016).
Gordon m Scottish, EnglishFrom a Scottish surname that 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.
Gore m English (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-).
Gorō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
五 (go) meaning "five" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". This was traditionally a name for the fifth son. Different combinations of kanji are also possible.
Goronwy m Welsh, 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.
Gotama m HinduismMeans
"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 borne by an early Indian philosopher who wrote the Nyaya Sutras.
Göte m SwedishSwedish form of the Old Norse name
Gauti, derived from
gautr meaning
"Geat, Goth".
Gottfried m GermanGerman 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.
Gotthilf m German (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
hilf "help". This name was created in the 17th century.
Gotthold m German (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
hold "lovely". This name was created in the 17th century.
Gottlob m German (Rare)Derived from German
Gott "God" and
lob "praise". This name was created in the 17th century.
Gottschalk m German (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.
Govad m Persian MythologyMeans
"wind" in Persian. This was the name of a Yazata (or angel) associated with the wind in Zoroastrianism.
Gozzo m Ancient GermanicOriginally a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
gaut, which was from the name of the Germanic tribe the Geats or Goths.
Grady m Irish, EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from
Ó Grádaigh meaning
"descendant of Grádaigh". The name
Grádaigh means "noble" in Gaelic.
Graham m Scottish, 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.
Granit m AlbanianMeans
"granite" in Albanian, from Italian
granito, ultimately derived from Latin
granum meaning "grain".
Grant m English, ScottishFrom an English and Scottish surname that 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.
Gratian m HistoryFrom 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.
Gray m & f EnglishFrom an English surname meaning
"grey", originally given to a person who had grey hair or clothing.
Grayson m English (Modern)From an English surname meaning
"son of the steward", derived from Middle English
greyve "steward".
Gregor m German, Scottish, Slovak, SloveneGerman, Scottish, Slovak and Slovene form of
Gregorius (see
Gregory). A famous bearer was Gregor Mendel (1822-1884), a Czech monk and scientist who did experiments in genetics.
Gregory m EnglishEnglish form of Latin
Gregorius, which was from the Late Greek name
Γρηγόριος (Gregorios), derived from
γρήγορος (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] Gresham m English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"grazing homestead" in Old English.
Griffin m EnglishLatinized form of
Gruffudd. This name can also be inspired by the English word
griffin, a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, ultimately from Greek
γρύψ (gryps).
Grigoriy m RussianRussian form of
Gregory. This name was borne by the Russian mystic Grigoriy Rasputin (1869-1916), more commonly known by only his surname.
Grover m EnglishFrom a surname meaning
"grove of trees" from Old English
graf. A famous bearer was the American president Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), who popularized the name in the United States at the end of the 19th century. The name is now associated with a muppet character from the children's television program
Sesame Street.
Gruffudd m WelshFrom the Old Welsh name
Grippiud, the second element deriving from Welsh
udd "lord, prince" but the first element being of uncertain meaning (possibly
cryf "strong"). This was a common name among medieval Welsh royalty. Gruffudd (or Gruffydd) ap Llywelyn was an 11th-century Welsh ruler who fought against England.
Grwn m WelshMeans
"ridge" in Welsh. This is a Welsh name of recent origin.
Guadalupe f & m SpanishFrom a Spanish title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, meaning "Our Lady of Guadalupe". Guadalupe is a Spanish place name, the site of a famous convent, derived from Arabic
وادي (wadi) meaning "valley, river" possibly combined with Latin
lupus meaning "wolf". In the 16th century Our Lady of Guadalupe supposedly appeared in a vision to a native Mexican man, and she is now regarded as a patron saint of the Americas.
Guanting m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
廷 (tíng) meaning "court". This name can also be formed from other character combinations.
Guanyu m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
冠 (guān) meaning "cap, crown, headgear" combined with
宇 (yǔ) meaning "house, eaves, universe". Other character combinations are possible.
Gudbrand m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Guðbrandr meaning
"god's sword", derived from the elements
guð "god" and
brandr "sword".
Guido m Italian, GermanLatinized form of
Wido. This was the name of two 11th-century saints. Other notable bearers include 11th-century music theorist Guido d'Arezzo, 13th-century poet Guido Cavalcanti, and 17th-century painter Guido Reni.
Guiomar f & m Portuguese, Spanish, Arthurian RomancePossibly derived from the Germanic name
Wigmar, which is formed of the elements
wig "war, battle" and
mari "famous". In the medieval
Lancelot-Grail cycle he plays a minor role as a cousin of Guinevere, who banishes him after he becomes a lover of Morgan le Fey. In modern Portugal and Spain it is a feminine name.
Guiscard m Medieval FrenchNorman French form of the Norman name
Wischard, from Old Norse
vizkr "wise" and the Old French pejorative suffix
-ard (from Frankish
hard "brave, hardy"). This was the byname of Robert Guiscard, an 11th-century Norman conqueror of Sicily.
Guiying m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
桂 (guì) meaning "laurel, cassia, cinnamon" combined with
英 (yīng) meaning "flower, petal, brave, hero". This name can be formed from other character combinations as well.
Gul m & f Urdu, PashtoMeans
"flower, rose" in Urdu and Pashto, ultimately from Persian.
Günther m German, Germanic MythologyFrom the Germanic name
Gundahar, derived from the elements
gund "war" and
hari "army, warrior". This was the name of a semi-legendary 5th-century Burgundian king. He appears in the Germanic saga the
Nibelungenlied, which has him wooing the Icelandic queen
Brünhild. He wins her hand in marriage with the help of the hero
Siegfried. He ultimately betrays Siegfried, but Siegfried's widow
Kriemhild (Günther's sister) takes her revenge upon him.
Guntram m GermanMeans
"war raven" from the Germanic elements
gund "war" and
hramn "raven". This was the name of a 6th-century Frankish king.
Guo m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
国 (guó) meaning "country" or other Chinese characters pronounced in a similar way.