Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Gilbert

Gilbert is a masculine name rooted in the ancient Frankish-Germanic elements “gisil” meaning “pledge, hostage” and “berht” meaning “bright, famous”. The name was brought to England by the Norman French and made famous by a 12th century English saint. St. Gilbert of Sempringham used his inherited wealth to found the Gilbertines, a religious order which included both priests and nuns (he is noted as the only Englishman to have done so). Eventually his order would be disbanded when King Henry VIII cut ties with Rome, replaced Catholicism with the Church of England and suppressed all the monasteries. St. Gilbert is still celebrated on his Feast Day of February 4th. The name Gilbert was mainly bestowed in his honor during the Middle Ages, but gained wider appeal in the 19th century.

All About the Baby Name – Gilbert

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME GILBERT

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME GILBERT

Gilbert maintained impressive usage for over 100 years. The name basically hovered close to the Top 100 list from the late 19th century all the way up through the 1950s. From that point on Gilbert slowly declined on the charts as the decades progressed into the 1980s. By the mid-1980s, Gilbert’s drops down the American boy’s naming charts became much more pronounced. Suffice it to say that from the 1990s onward, Gilbert has dropped down into nerdville territory. At this point, old Gilbert is only holding on by a thread. Perhaps too old-fashioned and stuffy by today’s more modern standards, Gilbert is no longer making the cut. Gib, Gibby, Gil or Bert are all possible nicknames but no matter how you dress it, Gilbert is just too passé.

Quick Facts

ON GILBERT

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

885

PRONUNCIATION:

GIL-bert

SIMPLE MEANING:

Famous pledge

Characteristics

OF GILBERT

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Gilbert

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME GILBERT

Gilbert Blythe is a central character in Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery’s very popular series of novels that began in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables. Not only is “Gilbert Blythe” just about the coolest name ever thought of, Gilbert himself is almost amazingly perfect. He is handsome, smart and good-natured. The worst thing he ever does is to call Anne “Carrots”, because of her red hair, when she first arrives in Avonlea. For this, she refuses to speak to him for an unaccountably long time. He is self-sacrificing on Anne’s behalf and, when she spurns his first proposal, he nearly dies of typhus. Silly Anne comes around, of course, marries him, and they live happily ever after (given life’s inevitable ups and downs). In addition to being a sterling husband, he is a loving father and a caring doctor. They just don’t get any better than this! In fact, they don’t get anywhere near this. Pause for a sigh for the good old days that probably never were. Gilbert, we love you!

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME GILBERT

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Gilbert


Popular Songs

ON GILBERT

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Gilbert


Famous People

NAMED GILBERT

Saint Gilbert (British saint)
Gilbert Gottfried (comic)
Gilbert Arenas (basketball player)
Gilbert Perreault (hockey player)
Gilbert Brown (football player)
Gilbert Brulé (hockey player)
Gilbert Cates (film director/TV producer)
Gilbert O'Sullivan (English singer-songwriter)
Gilbert Stuart (painter)
Gilbert of England (notable medieval physician)

Children of Famous People

NAMED GILBERT

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Gilbert

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME GILBERT

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Gilbert