Gareth
About Gareth
Gareth, the name of a modest and brave knight in King Arthur's court, makes a sensitive, gently appealing choice, used more in its native Wales than anywhere else.
The name Gareth first appeared in Malory's Morte d'Arthur, as the lover of Eluned, the brother of Gawain and nephew of King Arthur. He also appears in the Gareth and Lynette segment of Tennyson's Idylls of the King. In the British version of The Office, Gareth is the name of the equivalent character of Dwight Schrute, and it also appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Recommended nickname: Gaz. Not recommended nickname: Gary.
Pronounced GAR-eth.
As of October 2026, Gareth ranked #2776 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #1086 in 1970, Nameberry popularity #555.
Editor's take: The name Gareth is a boy's name of Welsh origin meaning "gentle".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,562 | 102 | 53.1 |
| 2015 | #1,582 | 102 | 53.2 |
| 2016 | #1,580 | 104 | 54.8 |
| 2017 | #1,750 | 88 | 47.5 |
| 2018 | #2,105 | 67 | 36.9 |
| 2019 | #2,347 | 58 | 32.3 |
| 2020 | #2,670 | 47 | 27.2 |
| 2021 | #2,833 | 44 | 25.2 |
| 2022 | #2,500 | 55 | 31.5 |
| 2023 | #2,744 | 47 | 27.5 |
| 2024 | #2,637 | 50 | 29 |
| 2025 | #2,776 | 46 | 26.9 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Gareth.
- Garrick
- Aldrick
- Nehemiah
- Raoul
- Agustin
- Tore
- Efrat
- Dimitros
- Arturo
- Aldrich
- Finan
- Laurent
- Augustin
- Eliya
- Mathis
- Armand
- Allaster
- Marek
- Léon
- Freyde
Gareth on lists
Famous Gareths
- Gareth David
Lloyd, Welsh actor
- Gareth Reynolds
American comedian
- Gareth Frank Bale
Welsh footballer
- Gareth Southgate
English footballer and coach
- Gareth Thomas
Welsh rugby player
- Gareth Barry
English footballer
- Gareth Paul Gates
English singer,songwriter
- Gareth Owen Edwards
Welsh rugby union player
- Gareth Gerald McAuley
Northern Irish footballer
- Sol Gareth "Garry" Davis
American peace activist
Gareth in pop culture
- Gareth Keenan
character on British TV's "The Office"
- Gareth Ritter
character on TV's "BrainDead"
- Gareth Probert
poet in "That Uncertain Feeling" (1955) by Kingsley Amis
- Gareth Bryne
one of the Five Great Captains in Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series
- Gareth I and II of Naxen
namesakes of Prince Gareth on Conte, characters in Tamora Pierce's "Song of the Lioness" and "Protector of the Small" quartets
- Garroth
character in Aphmau's YouTube series
- Gareth
character in AMC's "The Walking Dead"