Gadge
A name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Germanic root "gad" meaning "hook" or "goad".
Name Census estimates that about 157 living Americans carry the first name Gadge. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gadge today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gadge births was 2006 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gadge. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
157
~ 1 in 2,183,149 Americans
Peak year
2006
16 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2012 SSA rank
#11,254
Tracked since 1993
Census
Gadge in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 156 people with the first name Gadge, which placed it at #44,397 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,397
National first-name rank
People counted
156
156 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
78.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gadge
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gadge is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gadge described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gadge at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino12.2% · 19
- Two or more races7.1% · 11
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Popularity
Gadge: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gadge from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 98 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gadge by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gadge during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gadge
The given name Gadge is believed to have originated from the ancient Germanic language, dating back to the medieval period around the 6th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "gad," which means a spear or javelin, symbolizing strength and valor. The name was commonly found among the Germanic tribes that inhabited parts of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Gadge can be found in the Nibelungenlied, a famous German epic poem from the 13th century. The text mentions a character named Gadge, who was a skilled warrior known for his bravery and prowess on the battlefield.
In the 11th century, a notable figure named Gadge von Rothenburg was a renowned knight and military commander who served under the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV. He played a significant role in the Investiture Controversy, a conflict between the emperor and the Catholic Church over the appointment of bishops.
During the 14th century, Gadge Willems was a respected merchant and trader in the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe. He was known for his successful trading ventures and contributed to the prosperity of the League.
In the realm of religious history, Gadge Hildebrand was a prominent monk and scholar who lived in the 9th century. He was renowned for his extensive knowledge of theology and his contributions to the preservation of ancient manuscripts and texts.
Another notable figure with the name Gadge was Gadge Falkner, a skilled architect and stonemason from the 16th century. He was responsible for the construction of several notable churches and cathedrals across Germany, including the famous St. Michael's Church in Munich, which is still standing today.
While the name Gadge has its roots in Germanic languages, it has also been adopted and adapted in various other cultures and regions over the centuries, reflecting the rich diversity and interconnectedness of human civilizations.
People
Gadge + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gadge as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gadge: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gadge?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gadge going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,183,149 US residents.
Is Gadge a common name?
We classify Gadge as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 159 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gadge most popular?
The single biggest year for Gadge was 2006, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gadge is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gadge in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 156 people with the name Gadge, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,397 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gadge in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gadge?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gadge leans strongly male. 150 people counted with this name were male (97.4%), compared with 4 female bearers (2.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gadge?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gadge is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gadge most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gadge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (123 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gadge in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gadge a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gadge in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gadge still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gadge in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gadge can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are called Gadge?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.