Meaning & origin
What it means
Gib is a form of Gilbert. Gilbert is built from elements meaning “pledge” and “bright, famous”.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
In English use, Gib is a short form of Gilbert. An origin associated with Gilbert is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1930. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Gib through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 51
- 51 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1960
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 1961. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1960. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 151 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Gib’s family of names
Gib is a short form of Gilbert. Gib has a related form in Gilbert.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Gib, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gil
“resembling a young goal” · “the joy of the people”
>99% boys
Gale
“a foreigner” · “one who is cheerful”
85% boys · 15% girls
Skip
“the master of a ship”
>99% boys
Cris
“follower of Christ” · “one who bears Christ inside”
97% boys · 3% girls
Guy
“a warrior; from the wood” · “a lively man”
>99% boys
Garry
“one who wields a spear” · “a rough but peaceful man”
>99% boys
Tim
“one who honors God” · “a respected man”
>99% boys
Greg
“watchful” · “one who is vigilant; watch-”
>99% boys