Gilbert

German

"shining pledge"

Gilbert Origin and Meaning

The name Gilbert is a boy's name of German origin meaning "shining pledge".

Considered ultra debonair in the silent-movie era, Gilbert then went through a nerdy phase, a la Gilbert Gottfried. Now though, like Albert and Alfred and Walter and Frank, it could be in for a style revival.

Gilbert has always been on the US popularity list, reaching as high as Number 90 in 1930. The Normans introduced Gilbert to England, where it was common during the Middle Ages; it was the name of a 12th century English saint.

Gilberts have appeared in such books as Henry James's Portrait of a Lady, Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, and Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and on screen in The Incredibles and as embodied by the young Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?. The most famous portrait painter of George Washington was Gilbert Stuart.

Nickname Gil could come back along with Hal, but even more appealing are Gib or Gibby.

Gilbert Rank in US Top 1000

# 960 in the US

Gilbert Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 665 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Gilbert

• 960 US 2016
• 665 Nameberry 2025
• 172 Unique 2023
• 861 England 2016

20 Names Similar to Gilbert

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Gilbert.

• Clarence
• Bernard
• Friedrich
• Harold
• Seymour
• Archibald
• Laurence
• Eugene
• Leonard
• Arnold
• Wilfred
• Reginald
• Edgar
• Nigel
• Humphrey
• Edmond
• Ralph
• Wallace
• Oswald
• Herbert

Famous People Named Gilbert

• (Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch) Gilbert du Motier (de Lafayette), Marquis de Lafayette, French officer in the American Revolution
• Gilbert Keith Chesterton English writer
• Gilbert Charles Stuart American painter
• Gilbert Gottfried American actor/comedian
• Gilbert Jay Arenas American basketball player
• Gilbert Burnet Scottish theologian
• Gilbert Ryle English philosopher
• Gilbert Fowler White American geographer
• Gilbert White English naturalist
• Gilbert Roland American actor
• Gilbert Newton Lewis American physical chemist
• Gilbert Sorrentino American novelist and poet
• Gilbert Foliot medieval Bishop of London
• Gilbert James Glenn (b. 2012) son of TV anchor Fredricka Whitfield and John Glenn; twin sister Nola Amanda
• Gilbert Malone (b. 2013) son of choirmaster and TV personality Gareth Malone
• Gilbert Melendez UFC featherweight fighter

The name Gilbert in Pop Culture

• Gilbert Blythe character in L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series
• Gilbert Greenleaf character in "Castle Dangerous" by Sir Walter Scott
• Gilbert Pinfold character in "The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold" by Evelyn Waugh
• Gilbert Beilschmidt Personification of Prussia in "Axis Powers: Hetalia"
• Gilbert "Gil" Grissom character on TV's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
• Gilbert Grape main character in movie "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"
• Gilbert Lawson character on TV's "Community"
• Gilbert Markham character in 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' by Anne Bronte
• Gilbert "Gil" Nightray character in the manga/anime "Pandora Hearts"
• Gilbert Bingley character in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
• Elena and Jeremy Gilbert characters on TV's The Vampire Diaries

International Variations of the name Gilbert

• Gilibeirt Irish
• Gilleabart Scottish
• Gibbon Irish
• Gibby Scottish
• Gilberto Spanish
• Guilbert French
• Giselbert German