Gregory
The masculine first name Gregory or Grégory derives from the Latin name "Gregorius", which came from the late Greek name "Γρηγόριος" (Grēgórios) meaning "watchful, alert". .
- English
- French
Meaning & Origin of Gregory
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
The masculine first name Gregory or Grégory derives from the Latin name "Gregorius", which came from the late Greek name "Γρηγόριος" (Grēgórios) meaning "watchful, alert". .
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- French
The Story of Gregory
Gregory first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1962: 21,971 births, good for #21 nationwide. About 26% of every Gregory on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Gregory ranks #564 for baby boys with 519 births, falling sharply (-26%). All told, over 712K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Gregory
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Gregory. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Gregory
Phonetically similar names — useful when Gregory is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Gregory
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About the name Gregory
Gregory is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 712K births in the dataset. Gregory's peak popularity came in 1962 when it ranked #21. Use the chart and map above to compare Gregory's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1962 →
- Names of the 1960s →
- Names starting with "G" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.