girl's name
Ginger
JIN-jur
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 46,668
Ginger reached English from Sanskrit by way of four languages — shringavera, horn-root, named for the rhizome's antler shape, and every step of that journey is documented. It passed through Greek, Latin, Old English and Old French on the way, arriving by two routes at once.
- Ginger is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1971, when 1,670 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 70,542 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1913.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ginger over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 111 |
| 1920s | 291 |
| 1930s | 1,000 |
| 1940s | 4,194 |
| 1950s | 9,012 |
| 1960s | 11,712 |
| 1970s | 11,809 |
| 1980s | 4,367 |
| 1990s | 1,227 |
| 2000s | 1,393 |
| 2010s | 862 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 282 |
What Ginger means
Ginger means the spice, and behind it a horn-shaped root. The name is also used for red hair, which is a nineteenth-century English extension of the spice's color.
Where Ginger comes from
Ginger descends from the Sanskrit shringavera — shringa, a horn, joined to vera, a body or root, describing the antler-like shape of the rhizome. It passed into Greek as zingiberis, Latin as zingiber, Old English as gingifer and Old French as gingivre, arriving in modern English by two routes at once. Its use for red hair dates from the nineteenth century, from the spice's color. Ginger Rogers was born Virginia.
Ginger in use
Ginger peaked in the United States in 1971, when 1,670 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 3325th in the United States on 47 births, across 46,668 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1913, and England and Wales shows only a handful of births in any year.
How popular is Ginger?
In 2025, Ginger was given to 47 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Ginger 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 Ginger
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ginger also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ginger over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Ginger 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 Ginger
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ginger — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ginger
What does the name Ginger mean?
The spice — ultimately the Sanskrit shringavera, horn-root.
Why horn-root?
The rhizome branches like antlers, which is what the Sanskrit describes.
Why is red hair called ginger?
A nineteenth-century English extension from the spice's color.
How popular is Ginger?
3325th in the United States, down from a 1971 peak of 1,670 births.
Is Ginger a girl's or a boy's name?
Ginger is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ginger?
Ginger has 2 syllables.
Is Ginger a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ginger currently ranks #3,325 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.