Gilbert (given name)
Gilbert is a given name of Norman-French origin,[1] itself from Germanic Gisilberht or Gisalberht.[2][3] Original spellings included Gislebert, Guilbert and Gilebert. The first element, Gil-, comes from Germanic gīsil, meaning "shaft of an arrow" or gisal "pledge, hostage", while the second element, -bert comes from Germanic -behrt, short form of beraht, meaning "bright" or "famous".[4][5] The name was introduced to England by the Normans, where it was popular during the Middle Ages. That is the reason the pronunciation Gil- [gil] reflects the Northern Norman one [gil], as opposed to Old French [dʒil] > French [ʒil] and explains the alternative spelling Guilbert with Guil- [gil].
Pronunciation | /ˈɡɪlbɜːrt/ French: [ʒil.bɛʁ] |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | Norman-French |
Meaning | gisel + beraht |
Other names | |
Related names | Gilberto, Gil |
Variant spellings have evolved throughout Europe, including the Romance language version, Gilberto, and the Latin version, Gilbertus. The diminutive, Gil, is popular as a given name or nickname. Gilbert, with variant spellings, is also used as a surname (see Gilbert (surname)).
Translations
- Arabic: غيلبرت
- Belarusian: Гілберт ( Hilbiert)
- Bengali: গিলবার্ট ( Gilabārṭa)
- Chinese Simplified: 吉尔伯特 (Jí'ěr bó tè)
- Chinese Traditional: 吉爾伯特 (Jí'ěr bó tè)
- French: Gilbert
- German: Gilbert
- Gujarati: ગિલ્બર્ટ ( Gilbarṭa)
- Hebrew: גילברט
- Hindi: गिल्बर्ट ( Gilbarṭ)
- Italian: Gilberto
- Japanese: ギルバート ( Girubāto)
- Kannada: ಗಿಲ್ಬರ್ಟ್ ( Gilbarṭ)
- Korean: 길버트 (Gilbeoteu)
- Macedonian: Гилберт
- Marathi: गिल्बर्ट ( Gilbarṭa)
- Mongolian: Гилберт ( Gilbyert)
- Nepali: गिल्बर्ट (Gilbarṭa)
- Persian: گیلبرت
- Portuguese: Gilberto
- Russian: Гилберт
- Serbian: Гилберт
- Spanish: Gilberto
- Tamil: கில்பர்ட் ( Kilparṭ)
- Telugu: గిల్బర్ట్ ( Gilbarṭ)
- Thai: กิลเบิร์ต ( Kilbeir̒)
- Turkish: Jilbert, Jilber
- Ukrainian: Гілберт ( Hilbert)
- Urdu: گلبرٹ
- Yiddish: גילבערט ( Gylbʻrt)
People with the name
- Saint Gilbert (disambiguation)
- Gilbert (Archdeacon of Lismore), early 13th-century Irish Catholic priest
- Gilbert, Count of Brionne (c. 1000–c. 1040), French noble
- Gilbert, Count of Gravina (fl. 1159–1167), Norman French noble in Italy
- Gilbert, Count of Montpensier (1443–1496), French noble
- Gilbert of Glenluce (died 1253), Scottish, 13th-century Cistercian monk, abbot and bishop
- Gilbert of Sempringham (c. 1083–1190), the only Englishman to found a monastic order
- Gilbertus Anglicus or Gilbert of England (c. 1180 – c. 1250), English physician
- Gilbert Arenas (born 1982), professional basketball player
- Gilbert Bécaud (1927–2001), French singer, composer, pianist and actor
- Gilbert Brown (born 1971), American football player
- Gilbert Brulé (born 1987), Canadian ice hockey player
- Gilbert Buatère, Norman adventurer, one of the principal commanders of Battle of Cannae (1018)
- Gilbert Cates (1934–2011), American film director and television producer
- Gilbert Cavan (died 1420), Scottish cleric
- G. K. Chesterton (Gilbert Keith Chesterton, 1874–1936), English writer
- Gilbert Crispin (c. 1055–1117), Anglo-Norman monk appointed abbot, proctor, and servant of Westminster Abbey
- Gilbert Cruz (born 1980), Puerto Rican professional wrestler
- Gilbert de Beauregard Robinson (1906–1992), Canadian mathematician
- Gilbert de Chambrun (1909–2009), French politician
- Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c. 1100–1148), Anglo-Norman earl
- Gilbert de la Porrée or Gilbertus Porretanus (1070–1154), French scholastic logician and theologian
- Gilbert Doucet (1956–2020), French rugby union player
- Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), French general and politician who fought in the American Revolution and was involved in the French Revolution
- Gilbert Eisner, American fencer
- Gilbert Gottfried (born 1955), American actor and stand-up comedian
- Gilbert Greenall (humanitarian advisor) (born 1954), UN Humanitarian advisor
- Gil Hodges (1924–1972), American baseball player
- Gilbert von In der Maur (1887–1959), Austrian SS leader and journalist
- Gilbert Khunwane (born 1977), Batswana boxer
- Gilbert Levin (born 1948), American conductor
- Gilbert Mamery (1927–2003), Puerto Rican disc-jockey, musicologist, radio station owner, radio and television personality, marketing impresario, and composer
- Gilbert Marouani (1933–2016), Tunisian-born music producer and agent
- Gilbert Melendez (born 1982), American mixed martial artist
- Gilbert O'Sullivan (born 1946), stage name of Irish musician Raymond Edward O'Sullivan
- Gilbert Pena (born 1949), Texas politician
- Gilbert E. Patterson (1939–2007), American Pentecostal clergyman
- Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828), American painter
- Gilbert Tosetti (1879–1923), English cricketer
- Gilbert Tuhabonye (born 1974), American long-distance runner
- Gilbert F. White (1911–2006), American geographer
Fictional characters
- Gilbert, a cat in the Canadian children's television series Caillou
- Gilbert Bates, a recurring character in the television series Leave It to Beaver
- Gilbert Beilschmidt, the human name of the personification of Prussia in the anime series Hetalia: Axis Powers
- Gilbert Bougainvillea, a major in the Leidenschaftlich army from the anime and manga Violet Evergarden
- Gilbert Blythe, a character in the novel series Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Gilbert Cocteau, one of the main characters of the manga series Kaze to Ki no Uta
- Gilbert Dauterive, the cousin of the Bill Dauterive in the animated television series King of the Hill
- Gil Grissom, a forensic entomologist in the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- Gilbert Grape, the eponymous character of the 1993 film What's Eating Gilbert Grape
- Gilbert G.P. Guilford, the commander of the Glaston Knights in the anime series Code Geass
- Gilbert Markham, the principal narrator of the novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
- Gilbert Nightray, a character in the manga and anime series Pandora Hearts
Popularity
In England and Wales, Gilbert ranked 64th in popularity in 1904, 72nd in 1914 and 95th in 1924. By 1934 it had dropped out of the Top 100.[6]
See also
- Gilberto
- Gille Brigte (disambiguation)
- Gislebertus, 12th-century sculptor
References
- "Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Gilbert". Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet. p. 292a.
- Etymology of "Gilbert"
- DAUZAT 292a.
- Etymology of "Gisilberht"
- Popular Baby Names, 1904-1994 (UK Office of National Statistics)