Given name & surname · also Latin, Old French
George
“farmer”·“one who works the earth”
George begins with an everyday meaning—working the earth—while saints and kings gave it a much wider historical reach.
Original GreekΓιώργος
Meaning & origin
What it means
Its Greek root means “farmer” or “one who works the earth.”
Where it comes from
George reached English through Old French and Latin from the Greek name Georgios.
How it developed
Georgios comes from georgos, built from elements meaning “earth” and “to work.” Latin Georgius and Old French forms helped carry it into English.
The story
Saint George gave the name a religious and legendary association; the dragon story developed in the Middle Ages. In England, George I’s accession in 1714 helped increase the name’s use beyond its earlier saintly associations.
George through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,497,260
- 1,487,297 boys · 9,963 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 27,682 babies
- 2025
- 2,853
- #126 for boys · #15,702 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −11%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,848 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 126 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 10.6% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 27,476 in 1921. It also appeared in 5 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (236). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 631,924 as a first name in 2020; 127,488 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.
George’s family of names
In English usage, George is a diminutive of Georgia. George shares a linguistic root with Jorge. In English usage, George has a related form in Georgianna.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
George has relatives in 60 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere George comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 44
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Georgiafull form · English
- Georginafull form · English
- Jordydiminutive · English
- Georgiediminutive · English
- Giorgiovariant · Italian
- Gigidiminutive · Romanian
- Georgiannavariant · English
- Georgiosvariant · English
Show 36 moreShow fewer
- Georgiovariant
- Georgesvariant · French
- Geordiediminutive · English, Scots
- Georgydiminutive · English
- Georgvariant · English, Swedish
- Goranvariant
- Giorgiosvariant
- Giorgivariant
- Georgiyvariant
- Georgivariant
- Geordivariant
- Bush filhonickname
- Bush painickname
- Siorsvariant · Welsh
- Ѓерѓиvariant · Macedonian
- Georgie Porgievariant · English
- Gheorghevariant · Romanian
- Đurovariant · Serbo-Croatian
- Doddiminutive · Scots
- Deòrsavariant · Scottish Gaelic
- Jørnshort form · Danish
- Jürgensenvariant · German
- Jörgvariant · German
- Jürgenvariant · German, Estonian
- Georgiivariant
- Gyurivariant
- Gyorgyvariant
- Giorgiusvariant
- Georasvariant
- Gigeldiminutive · Romanian
- Gicădiminutive · Romanian
- Georgicădiminutive · Romanian
- Jurekpet form
- Goryapet form
- Gorapet form
- Gogapet form
Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 131
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ΓιώργοςGreek
- Γεώργιοςroot · Greek, Ancient Greek
- GeorgiusLatin
- ΤζωρτζGreek
- Jorgedoublet · Portuguese, Spanish
- Yuridoublet · English
- Jordicognate · Catalan
- Joricognate
Show 52 moreShow fewer
- Jurirelated form
- Jojirelated form
- Gevorgequivalent
- Siaosiborrowing · Tongan, Samoan
- Jurgenrelated form
- Jorenrelated form
- Jerzycognate · Polish
- Yuriyrelated form
- Juraequivalent
- Keokiborrowing · Hawaiian
- Irjacognate · Finnish
- Yiorgosrelated form
- Jyriequivalent
- Jornequivalent
- Giorgosequivalent
- Georgeaequivalent
- Yuryequivalent
- JurisLatvian
- Joriscognate · Dutch
- Yegorcognate
- Seóirseequivalent
- വരീത്equivalent
- Юрьиequivalent
- Гюрьгиequivalent
- Jürnasequivalent
- Юрійequivalent
- ܔܪܔܐequivalent
- جاورجيوسequivalent
- വർക്കിequivalent
- Schorrschequivalent
- Георгійequivalent
- Юрийequivalent
- جرجسequivalent
- Juříequivalent
- Jerkequivalent
- Schorschequivalent
- Gøranequivalent
- Jörnequivalent
- Ørjanequivalent
- Georgeson“son of” surname · English
- ДжорджRussian
- ЕгорRussian
- ГеоргийRussian
- ജോർജ്borrowing · Malayalam
- Giurgiudoublet · Romanian
- 喬治borrowing · Chinese
- جورجborrowing · Arabic, Persian
- Hōriborrowing · Māori
- Jurģiscognate · Latvian
- Georgscognate · Latvian
- Jurijcognate · Slovene, Upper Sorbian
- Jørgencognate · Norwegian Bokmål, Danish
And 71 more.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named George
- George W. Bush43rd President of the United States (2001–2009)born 1946
- George WashingtonFounding Father and first U.S. president (1732–1799)
- Lord ByronEnglish Romantic poet and lyricist (1788–1824)
- George OrwellBritish writer and journalist (1903–1950)
- George H. W. Bush41st President of the United States (1989–1993)1924–2018
- George Bernard ShawIrish playwright, critic, and polemicist (1856–1950)
- George Frideric HandelGerman-British Baroque composer (1685–1759)
- George EliotEnglish novelist, essayist, poet and journalist (1819–1880)
- George LucasAmerican filmmaker and philanthropist (born 1944)
Characters named George: Captain Boomerang (supervillain appearing in DC Comics publications and related media), George Hammond (Stargate), George O'Malley (the television show Grey's Anatomy), George Costanza (main character on the TV show Seinfeld).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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- Names of local and patron saints
- Saints' names
- Multiple Middle Names
- The Abbreviators
- Traditional boys' favorites
- G Names
- Most Popular Names of the 1930s
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- Famous Generals
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- Couch Potatoes
- American Idols
- Farmers
- Presidential Names
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- Royalty
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