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Gilbert

Heart
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.

# 960 in the US

Gilbert Rank in US Top 1000

# 779 on Nameberry

Gilbert Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Gilbert Popularity

20 Names Similar to Gilbert

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Famous People Named Gilbert

  • (MarieJoseph Paul Yves Roch) Gilbert du Motier (de Lafayette), Marquis de Lafayette, French officer in the American Revolution
  • Gilbert Keith ChestertonEnglish writer
  • Gilbert Charles StuartAmerican painter
  • Gilbert GottfriedAmerican actor/comedian
  • Gilbert Jay ArenasAmerican basketball player
  • Gilbert BurnetScottish theologian
  • Gilbert RyleEnglish philosopher
  • Gilbert Fowler WhiteAmerican geographer
  • Gilbert WhiteEnglish naturalist
  • Gilbert RolandAmerican actor
  • Gilbert Newton LewisAmerican physical chemist
  • Gilbert SorrentinoAmerican novelist and poet
  • Gilbert Foliotmedieval 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 MelendezUFC featherweight fighter

Gilbert in Pop Culture

  • Gilbert Blythecharacter in L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series
  • Gilbert Greenleafcharacter in "Castle Dangerous" by Sir Walter Scott
  • Gilbert Pinfoldcharacter in "The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold" by Evelyn Waugh
  • Gilbert BeilschmidtPersonification of Prussia in "Axis Powers: Hetalia"
  • Gilbert "Gil" Grissomcharacter on TV's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
  • Gilbert Grapemain character in movie "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?"
  • Gilbert Lawsoncharacter on TV's "Community"
  • Gilbert Markhamcharacter in 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' by Anne Bronte
  • Gilbert "Gil" Nightraycharacter in the manga/anime "Pandora Hearts"
  • Gilbert Bingleycharacter in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
  • Elena and Jeremy Gilbertcharacters on TV's The Vampire Diaries