Boy names that start with G
G opens with an archangel and ends up in the Welsh hills. Gabriel holds #37 in the United States and has never needed a nickname; Gwilym has barely crossed the Atlantic and is the better for it. Here are 39 G names, each linked to a full entry with meaning, origin, and pairings.
Most popular G names right now
Only three G names appear in the SSA 2025 top 100; those three carry their real ranks below. The rest of the list is the familiar tier outside it — names every American knows, none of them currently charting.
- #37GabrielGAY-bree-ulHebrew
God is my strength. The archangel of the Annunciation, and the steadiest of the angel names.
- #51GraysonGRAY-sunEnglish
Son of the grieve — the steward's son. A surname that broke through as a first name in the 2010s.
- #86Gaelgah-ELBreton & French
Blessed and generous, by way of Gwenaël — or simply 'a Gael'. The actor Gael García Bernal made it familiar across Latin America.
- GeorgeJORJGreek
Farmer; a worker of the earth. Six English kings and the first American president, and still outside the current U.S. top 100.
- GregoryGREG-uh-reeGreek
Watchful, vigilant. Sixteen popes have taken it; the calendar on your wall is Gregory XIII's.
- GriffinGRIF-inWelsh
From Gruffudd, whose second element is udd, lord — and, separately, the eagle-lion of medieval bestiaries.
- GavinGAV-inScottish
Disputed in meaning, certain in pedigree: this is Gawain, the most courteous knight at Arthur's table.
- GrahamGRAY-umScottish
Gravelly homestead — from Grantham in Lincolnshire, carried north by a Norman family who became a Scottish clan.
- GrantGRANTScottish
Tall or large, from Anglo-Norman grand. It began as a byname for a big man.
- GideonGID-ee-unHebrew
Hewer; one who cuts down. The judge who routed the Midianites with three hundred men.
- Giovannijoh-VAH-neeItalian
God is gracious. Italy's John, and one of the most-used names in the country for centuries.
Classic G names
Norman imports, mostly, and all the better for a few centuries of wear.
- GeraldJERR-uldGermanic
Spear rule — one who commands with the spear. Gerald Ford is the American touchstone.
- GilbertGIL-bertGermanic
Bright pledge; a shining guarantee. Everywhere in Norman England, quiet ever since.
- GilesJYLZEnglish
Young goat, from Greek Aigidios. The saint behind St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh.
- GordonGOR-dunScottish
From Gordon, a place in the Scottish Borders, by way of the clan that took its name.
- GlennGLENScottish
A narrow valley. The astronaut John Glenn and the bandleader Glenn Miller keep it mid-century American.
- GeoffreyJEF-reeNorman
Something plus peace — the second element is certain, the first has never been settled. Chaucer's name.
- GarrettGA-ritEnglish & Irish
Spear-brave or spear-ruler, depending on whether you trace it to Gerard or to Gerald.
- GarethGA-rethWelsh
Unsettled. Malory handed the name to one of Arthur's knights without leaving anyone a definition.
Unique G names
Rare in the United States, and worth the pronunciation lesson. Welsh and Norse do most of the work here.
- GwynGWINWelsh
White, fair; also blessed and holy. Gwyn ap Nudd rules the otherworld in Welsh myth.
- GethinGETH-inWelsh
Dusky, swarthy, dark — a Welsh nickname that hardened into a given name.
- GwilymGWIL-imWelsh
Resolute protector; the Welsh William. Dafydd ap Gwilym is the finest poet medieval Wales produced.
- GunnarGOON-arNorse
Warrior; fighter in battle. Gunnar of Hlíðarendi is the doomed hero of Njál's Saga.
- GeirGAYRNorwegian
Spear. The element that ends dozens of Norse names, here standing on its own.
- GormGORMDanish
A king's name of contested meaning. Gorm the Old opens the Danish royal line.
- GaizkaGYS-kahBasque
Saviour, from the verb gaizkatu — the Basque answer to Salvador.
- Guaracigwa-ra-SEEBrazilian
The sun — and, in Tupi-Guarani tradition, the sun as the maker of things.
- GamboGAM-boHausa
The child born next after twins. Hausa naming assigns it by birth order rather than by taste.
- GyulaDYOO-lawHungarian
A chieftain's rank that turned into a name, and Hungary's answer to Julius.
G names from around the world
George and Gabriel have travelled further than almost any other pair of G names; these are some of the shapes they take, plus a few that never left home.
- GiacomoJAH-ko-moItalian
The Italian James — the heel-holder. Giacomo Puccini wrote La Bohème.
- Gianlucajahn-LOO-kahItalian
John and Luke, fused into a single name in the Italian manner.
- Gonzalogohn-SAH-lohSpanish
Built on the Germanic word for battle; the second element is genuinely disputed. A Castilian standard since the Middle Ages.
- Guilhermegee-LYAIR-muhPortuguese
Resolute protector — will and defence. The William of Portugal and Brazil.
- GijsKHICEDutch
Bright pledge. A Dutch clip of Gijsbert, and no longer than a breath.
- GáborGAH-borHungarian
The Hungarian Gabriel: God is my strength, with the stress thrown forward.
- Grigorygree-GO-reeRussian
Watchful, awake — an instruction more than a description. Russia's Gregory.
- GirmaGIR-mahAmharic
Majesty, dignity, commanding presence. An Ethiopian name that expects something of its bearer.
- GunwooGUHN-wooKorean
Set by the hanja: 建 'establish' or 健 'robust', joined to 宇 'the cosmos' or 祐 'divine help'.
- Gurpreetgoor-PREETPunjabi
Love of the Guru — gur and preet, a Sikh name in two syllables.