boy's name
Gabin
ga-BAN
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (France)
- Births on record 54,596
France
#18
2025 births
Gabin is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "from Gabii," an ancient town near Rome. It ranks eighteenth in France and is almost unknown outside it, which makes it one of the most strictly French names in our data.
- Gabin is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2018, when 2,800 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 306 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1901.
Gabin over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 70 |
| 1910s | 85 |
| 1920s | 120 |
| 1930s | 130 |
| 1940s | 105 |
| 1950s | 115 |
| 1960s | 130 |
| 1970s | 90 |
| 1980s | 245 |
| 1990s | 1,775 |
| 2000s | 11,615 |
| 2010s | 25,810 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,205 |
What Gabin means
Gabin means a man from Gabii. It is a place-name origin rather than a descriptive one, formed from the Latin Gabinus, the adjective for that town, so it says where someone was from rather than what they were like.
Where Gabin comes from
Gabin comes from the Latin Gabinus, of Gabii, an ancient Latin town about twelve miles east of Rome that gave its name to a style of wearing the toga, the cinctus Gabinus, used in certain rites. Saint Gabinus was a Roman priest and the father of Saint Susanna, martyred under Diocletian. Some reference sites gloss the name as "God is my strength," which belongs to Gabriel and appears to be confusion between the two. The name's modern French popularity is usually credited to the actor Jean Gabin, born Jean-Alexis Moncorge, who took the stage name and dominated French cinema from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Gabin in use
Gabin ranks eighteenth in France with about 1,925 births in 2025, and our records place it in the French series only from 2000. Outside France it is essentially absent: beyond 5,000 in England and Wales and beyond 11,000 in the United States. Of the names in the French top twenty, this is among the least exported, and its association with a single actor is unusually direct.
How popular is Gabin?
In 2025, Gabin was given to 1,925 babies in France, ranking #18 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Where Gabin is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Gabin
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Gabin also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Gabin over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Gabin
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Gabin — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Gabin
What does the name Gabin mean?
Gabin means "from Gabii," an ancient town near Rome, from the Latin Gabinus.
Does Gabin mean God is my strength?
No. That belongs to Gabriel; some sites confuse the two names.
Is Gabin named after Jean Gabin?
Its modern popularity is generally credited to the actor, who took the name as a stage surname.
Is Gabin used outside France?
Barely. It sits beyond 5,000 in England and Wales and beyond 11,000 in the United States.
How popular is the name Gabin?
In 2025, Gabin was given to 1,925 babies in France, ranking #18 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Is Gabin a girl's or a boy's name?
Gabin is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Gabin most popular?
Gabin peaked in 2018, when 2,800 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Gabin a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Gabin currently ranks #18 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.