Given name & surname
Gustave
“of the staff of the gods”
Gustave is used as a given name and a surname. One Scandinavian interpretation is “of the staff of the gods.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scandinavian interpretation is “of the staff of the gods.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scandinavian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Gustave is a variant of Gustav. The history of Gustav gives this family its wider story. Gustav has historical associations with Scandinavian royalty.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Gustave through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,430
- 5,430 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 152 babies
- 2025
- 10
- #7,858 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −30%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 10 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,858 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,647 as a first name in 2020; 1,318 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.
Gustave’s family of names
In English usage, Gustave has a short form in Gus. Gustave shares a linguistic root with Gustav. In French usage, Gustave has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Gustavo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Gustave has relatives in 13 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
9 related names in 13 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Gustavovariant · Spanish, Italian
- Gusclipped form · English
- Gustavvariant · English, German
- Gustavusvariant · English
- Gustafvariant
- Gusztavvariant
- Gustusvariant
- Gustovovariant
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Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Gustavafeminine form
- Göstaequivalent
- Gústavequivalent
- Gustávequivalent
- Gustauequivalent
- Kustaaequivalent
- ГуставRussian
- Gutabopln
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People named Gustave
- Gustave FlaubertFrench novelist (1821–1880)
- Gustave Le BonFrench psychologist (1841-1931)
- Gustave CaillebotteFrench painter (1848–1894)
- Gustave Moreau19th century French Symbolist painter (1826-1898)
- Gustave CharpentierFrench composer (1860-1956)
- Gustave de MolinariBelgian political economist and classical liberal theorist (1819–1912)
- Gustave GarrigouFrench racing cyclist (1884–1963)
- Gustave KahnFrench symbolist poet and art critic (1859–1936)
- Gustave BoulangerFrench painter (1824-1888)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Gustave, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“resembling an eagle”
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“from the field of roses”
77% boys · 23% girls