Given name & surname
Gershon
“exile”·“sojourner”·“a stranger there”
Gershon is a variant of Gershom. Interpretations include “exile” (Hebrew), “sojourner” (Hebrew), and “a stranger there” (Hebrew). Other interpretations also occur. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewגרשון
Meaning & origin
What it means
Gershon is a variant of Gershom. Interpretations include “exile” (Hebrew), “sojourner” (Hebrew), and “a stranger there” (Hebrew). Other interpretations also occur. These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Gershon is a variant of Gershom. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Gershon appears in 1 Chronicles 6:16.
From biblical name research
Gershon through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 977
- 977 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 38 babies
- 2025
- 38
- #3,150 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +50%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 38 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,150 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 50.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (19). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 856 as a first name in 2020; 1,050 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.
Gershon’s family of names
Gershon has a related form in Gershom. In English usage, Gershon has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Gersón.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Gershon
- Gershon KoffieGhanaian footballerborn 1991
- Gershon SirotaPolish hazzan (1874–1943)
- Gershon Edelsteinharedi rabbi1923–2023
- Gershon ShafatIsraeli politician (1927-2020)
- Gershon Baskinpolitical activistborn 1956
- Gershon ZakIsraeli Navy general1909–1989
- Gershon GalilIsraeli historianborn 1953
- Gershon LegmanAmerican journalist (1917–1999)
- Gershon ShakedIsraeli literary critic (1929-2006)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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If you love Gershon, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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