Gemma
Meaning
"gem, precious stone"
Goes by Gem
The story
Gemma is Italian for gem, a name that says precious stone in plain speech, and Britain proved it first: it was a UK favorite for decades while America barely noticed, a few hundred a decade through the 1990s. The import finally took hold on the same transatlantic current that carried Freya, Callum and Evie: about 2,200 in the 2000s, 11,500 in the 2010s, and 9,400 so far this decade. One figure in our records is absolute: across more than a century, not one recorded boy, 26,000 girls to zero, the same literal unanimity Freya and Margot carry. There is a saint underneath for families who want her, Gemma Galgani, and a jewel for everyone else. Two crisp syllables, one honest meaning, no spelling debates and no pronunciation traps: sometimes a name climbs simply because nothing about it needs explaining.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Gemma peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
292 people · the #19,419 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 1,000,000 · median age 82
Among people named Gemma living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1930s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Gemma
Most people given the name Gemma in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Gemma deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Gemma truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Gemma fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Gemma · Nicknames for Gemma · Middle names for Gemma
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