Girl · #13,427 in 2026

Gem

Name: Popularity of the name Gem in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Gem, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

A gemstone is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks and occasionally organic materials that are not minerals may also be used for jewelry and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well.

Current Rank

#13,427

Peak Rank

#7,985 (2016)

Total Babies

209

5-Yr Trend

-8%

1914

First Year

2024

Last Year

2016

Peak Year

#7985

Peak Rank

209

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Gem

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

Auguste Verneuil – creator of flame-fusion process 1902 Prior to development of synthesising processes the alternatives on the market to natural gemstones were imitations or fake. In 1837, the first successful synthesis of ruby occurred. French chemist Marc Gaudin managed to produce small crystals of ruby from melting together potassium aluminium sulphate and potassium chromate through what would later be known as the flux melt process. Following this, another French chemist Fremy was able to grow large quantities of small ruby crystals using a lead flux. A few years later an alternative to fl

The Story of Gem

Gem first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1914, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2016: 14 births, good for #7,985 nationwide. About 30% of every Gem on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Gem last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 209 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Gem

Phonetically similar names — useful when Gem is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Jem
Gemme
Gym
Jim
Jum
Jym
Jimm
Jam
Jen
Gen
Jame
Jamb

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Gem

What does the name Gem mean?

How popular is Gem in 2026?

In 2026, Gem ranks #13,427 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Gem most popular?

Gem reached its peak popularity in 2016, ranking #7,985 that year with 14 babies given the name.

Is Gem a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Gem is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Gem?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Gem include Adaleen, Lauriel, Aveena. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Gem

Gem is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 209 births in the dataset. Gem's peak popularity came in 2016 when it ranked #7,985. Use the chart and map above to compare Gem's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.