Gaige
Of English origin, meaning "man of the meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 4,478 living Americans carry the first name Gaige. It is a predominantly male name (97.2% of registrations). The average person named Gaige today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gaige births was 2007 (288 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gaige. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gaige with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Although Gaige is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 127 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
4.5K
~ 1 in 76,542 Americans
Peak year
2007
288 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,560
Tracked since 1989
Census
Gaige in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,768 people with the first name Gaige, which placed it at #4,796 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
#4,796
National first-name rank
People counted
3.8K
3,768 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
82.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaige
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gaige is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Gaige 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 Gaige at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 3,098
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 297
- Two or more races5.8% · 218
- Black or African American2.1% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
Gender
Gender distribution for Gaige
Gaige leans heavily male at 97.2% of total registrations, but 127 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Gaige as a male name
- Ranked #6,560 in 2024
- 13 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (279 births)
Gaige as a female name
- Ranked #16,485 in 2018
- 5 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2003 (9 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gaige leans strongly male. 3,640 people counted with this name were male (96.4%), compared with 134 female bearers (3.6%).
Popularity
Gaige: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gaige from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 2,171 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
Gaige 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 Gaige during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gaiges live
The SSA's state-level files cover 35 states and territories. Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas recorded the most babies named Gaige, while New Jersey, Montana, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 77 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gaige
The name Gaige is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "gæg," which means "pledge" or "hostage." This suggests that the name may have been used to refer to someone who was given as a guarantee or surety in ancient times.
Another theory suggests that Gaige could be a variant spelling of the name "Gage," which itself is derived from the Old French word "gage," meaning "pledge" or "security." This connection further strengthens the idea that the name was associated with the concept of a pledge or a guarantee in the past.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that it was used in some form or another in various regions of Europe during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Gaige can be found in the 16th century, when a man named Gaige Wilkinson was born in England in 1578. He was a renowned scholar and author, known for his works on philosophy and theology.
In the 18th century, a French artist named Gaige Lebrun (1705-1790) gained recognition for his intricate and beautiful paintings, many of which depicted scenes from classical mythology.
During the 19th century, a Scottish engineer named Gaige MacGregor (1821-1897) made significant contributions to the field of bridge design and construction, with several notable bridges bearing his name.
In more recent times, Gaige Robbins (1892-1962) was an American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the oil industry. He was known for his generous donations to various educational institutions and charitable organizations.
Another notable figure was Gaige Reynolds (1923-2008), an American actor and director who appeared in numerous stage productions and television shows throughout his career.
While the name Gaige may not be as common as some other names, it carries a rich history and a sense of intrigue. Its unique sound and potential meanings have made it a captivating choice for parents seeking a name that stands out from the crowd.
People
Gaige + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gaige 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
Gaige: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gaige?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,478 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gaige 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 76,542 US residents.
Is Gaige a common name?
We classify Gaige as "Rare". It ranks above 96.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,535 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gaige most popular?
The single biggest year for Gaige was 2007, when 288 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gaige is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gaige in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,768 people with the name Gaige, or 1.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,796 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 Gaige 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 Gaige?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gaige leans strongly male. 3,640 people counted with this name were male (96.4%), compared with 134 female bearers (3.6%). 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 Gaige?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gaige is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Gaige most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gaige in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (3,098 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 Gaige in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gaige a male name?
Yes, 97.2% of people registered as Gaige 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 Gaige still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gaige 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 Gaige 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 have Gaige as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Gaige on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.