UK boy's name
Gilbert
A Germanic masculine name meaning "bright pledge" or "illustrious pledge".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Gilbert is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Gilbert popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1460, with 18 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 40 births.
This profile covers 570 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 45% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 618 living people in the UK are called Gilbert. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Gilbert ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 18 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2013, when 40 boys were registered as Gilbert.
- • Gilbert ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #337 in 1988.
- • About 618 living people in the UK are estimated to have Gilbert as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1460
2024
Births in 2024
18
Latest year
Peak year
2013
40 births
Estimated living
618
2026
Meaning
What does Gilbert mean?
The name Gilbert has its origins in the Germanic languages, deriving from the Old German "Gisil" meaning "bright pledge" or "illustrious pledge", and "berht" meaning "bright" or "brilliant". The name was popular among the Franks and emerged in the 8th century AD.
It is believed that the earliest recorded instance of the name Gilbert dates back to the 8th century in the Frankish Empire, where it was borne by several notable figures. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Gilbert, Count of Angoulême, who lived in the 9th century.
In the 11th century, the name gained prominence with Gilbert de Clare, Lord of Glamorgan, a powerful Norman baron who played a significant role in the Norman conquest of Wales. Another notable figure from this period was Gilbert Foliot, a Benedictine monk and Bishop of Hereford in the 12th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name was widely used across Europe, particularly in France and England. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Gilbert de la Porrée, a French theologian and philosopher of the 12th century, known for his works on the Trinity and his influential teachings.
In the 13th century, the name was carried by Gilbert de Sempringham, an English priest and founder of the Gilbertine Order, a monastic order that followed the Augustinian rule. Another notable figure from this time was Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and one of the most powerful barons of England during the reign of King Henry III.
The Renaissance period saw the name Gilbert associated with several notable individuals, including Gilbert Crispin, an English monk and hagiographer in the 12th century, and Gilbert Motier de La Fayette, a French aristocrat and military officer who played a pivotal role in the American Revolutionary War, born in 1757.
Over the centuries, the name Gilbert has been borne by many other notable figures across various fields, including writers, scientists, and artists. It continues to be a popular name in various cultures, carrying a rich historical legacy and a sense of brightness and illustriousness.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Gilbert over time
The chart below shows babies named Gilbert registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Gilbert, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 18 births in 2024, compared with 40 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gilbert by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Gilbert was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1421 | 91 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1034 | 282 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1375 | 171 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1920 | 26 | 4 |
Geography
Where Gilbert is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Gilbert. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Gilbert ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #337 in 1988.
Across the UK
Gilbert in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#337 in 1988
11 years of NRS records, 54 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Gilbert
-
Gilbert William Walenn
aircraft pilot
Royal Air Force officer (1916-1944)
1916-1944
-
Gilbert Foster
illustrator; painter
English painter and illustrator (1855–1906)
1855-1906
-
Gilbert of Hastings
Catholic priest; Catholic bishop
Bishop of Lisbon
1100-1166
-
Gilbert of Sempringham
Catholic priest; philosopher
11th-century founder of the Gilbertine Order
1083-1189
Related
Names similar to Gilbert
- George 121,258
- Gabriel 20,581
- Grayson 7,636
- Gregory 2,925
- Guy 2,646
- Gareth 2,092
- Gethin 1,880
- Georgie 1,872
- Gary 1,575
- Gavin 1,422
- Giovanni 1,252
- Grant 1,199
FAQ
Gilbert: questions and answers
How popular is the name Gilbert in the UK right now?
In 2024, Gilbert was ranked #1460 for boys in England and Wales, with 18 births registered.
When was Gilbert most popular?
The peak year on record was 2013, with 40 babies registered as Gilbert in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Gilbert?
A Germanic masculine name meaning "bright pledge" or "illustrious pledge".
How many people are called Gilbert in the UK?
A total of 570 babies have been registered as Gilbert across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 54 more in Scotland.
Where is Gilbert most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Gilbert ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #337 in 1988. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.