girl's name
Gemma
JEM-a (English)
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 48,690
the United States
#170
2025 births
Gemma is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "gem" or "precious stone." It comes from gemma, which meant a bud on a vine before it meant a jewel — the jewel sense is the metaphor.
- Gemma is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,805 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,837 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1904.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Gemma Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 36 |
| 1910s | 190 |
| 1920s | 213 |
| 1930s | 138 |
| 1940s | 198 |
| 1950s | 313 |
| 1960s | 300 |
| 1970s | 274 |
| 1980s | 432 |
| 1990s | 830 |
| 2000s | 2,223 |
| 2010s | 11,467 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 9,428 |
What Gemma Means
Gemma means a gem or jewel. The Latin word originally named a leaf bud, and the transfer to precious stones came from the resemblance of a polished gem to a swelling bud.
Where Gemma Comes From
Gemma is the Latin gemma, whose first meaning was a bud on a vine; the jewel sense developed as a metaphor and displaced the original, though botany still uses gemma for a bud. The name was used in medieval Italy — Gemma Donati was Dante's wife — and Saint Gemma Galgani, an Italian mystic who died in 1903, carried it into the twentieth century. It reached Britain in the 1970s and became far more popular there than in Italy or America.
Gemma in Use
Birth records show Gemma peaking in 2025 — still climbing — and it first appears in birth records in 1904. Its trajectory is unusual: strongly British from the 1970s, and only now rising in the United States, so the two markets are running about fifty years apart on the same name.
How Popular Is Gemma?
In 2025, Gemma was given to 1,805 babies in the United States, ranking #170 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Gemma Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Gemma
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Gemma Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Gemma over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Gemma
- English JEM-a /ˈdʒɛmə/
1 nickname for Gemma
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Gemma in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Gemma
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Gemma — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Gemma
What does the name Gemma mean?
Gemma means "gem" or "precious stone," from the Latin gemma.
Did gemma originally mean a jewel?
No — it first meant a bud on a vine. The jewel sense was a metaphor that displaced the original.
Is Gemma British or Italian?
The name is Italian, but Britain adopted it far more enthusiastically from the 1970s than Italy or America.
How popular is the name Gemma?
In 2025, Gemma was given to 1,805 babies in the United States, ranking #170 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Gemma a girl's or a boy's name?
Gemma is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Gemma?
Gemma has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Gemma?
Gemma is usually shortened to Gem.
Is Gemma a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Gemma currently ranks #170 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.