Given name & surname · also Hebrew
Gad
“having good fortune”·“from the juniper tree”
Gad is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “having good fortune” and “from the juniper tree”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Original Hebrewגד
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “having good fortune” and “from the juniper tree”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Hebrew and Native American naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1987. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Gad appears in Genesis 30:11, Revelation 7:5, 1 Samuel 22:5 and 1 other passage.
- Genesis 30:11
- Revelation 7:5
- 1 Samuel 22:5
- Isaiah 65:11
From biblical name research
Gad through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 131
- 131 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #8,474 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −20%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,474 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10 in 2016. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 450 as a first name in 2020; 1,323 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gad’s family of names
Gad has a related form in Gadi. Gad has a related form in Gady. Gad has a related form in Gadea.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Gad
- Gad ElmalehMoroccan-Canadian comedian and actorborn 1971
- Gad SaadCanadian psychologist (b. 1964)
- Gad RechlisIsraeli chess playerborn 1967
- Gad LernerItalian journalist, writer and broadcasterborn 1954
- Gad YaacobiIsraeli politician (1935-2007)
- Gad BeckHolocaust survivor, author (1923-2012)
- Gad Frederik ClementDanish painter (1867–1933)
- Gad RausingSwedish industrialist and archaeologist (1922-2000)
- Gad ElbazIsraeli singerborn 1982
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gad, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Hanniel
“God has been gracious”
>99% boys
Maaz
“anger”
>99% boys
Abaddon
“destructive one” · “place of destruction”
>99% boys
Amaziah
“Yah is strong” · “strength of Yah”
90% boys · 10% girls
Adahy
“one who lives in the forest”
>99% boys
Abiram
“father of loftiness” · “(the) exalted one is (my) father”
>99% boys
Ahaziah
“Yah has grasped”
>99% boys
Azarel
“God has helped”
>99% boys