# Gareth (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gareth/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Welsh |
| Meaning | “old man”, “gentleness”, “gentle” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡæɹ.əθ/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Gaz |
| Variant spellings | Garth |
| US babies named this | 4,394 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 4,389 / 5 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 2,098, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Of Old Welsh origin and cognate with the Welsh name Geraint (from Latin Gerontius (“old man”), from Ancient Greek γέρων (gérōn, “old man”)) or perhaps the word gwareddawg, gwaredd (“gentleness”); see gwâr (“gentle”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 5 | 6,269 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 52 | 2,414 |
| 2012 | 45 | 2,691 |
| 2013 | 53 | 2,376 |
| 2014 | 102 | 1,562 |
| 2015 | 102 | 1,582 |
| 2016 | 104 | 1,580 |
| 2017 | 88 | 1,751 |
| 2018 | 67 | 2,106 |
| 2019 | 58 | 2,350 |
| 2020 | 47 | 2,670 |
| 2021 | 44 | 2,834 |
| 2022 | 55 | 2,501 |
| 2023 | 47 | 2,746 |
| 2024 | 50 | 2,645 |
| 2025 | 46 | 2,776 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 29 | 958 |
| 2012 | 29 | 977 |
| 2013 | 25 | 1,063 |
| 2014 | 22 | 1,178 |
| 2015 | 16 | 1,511 |
| 2016 | 12 | 1,903 |
| 2017 | 18 | 1,398 |
| 2018 | 13 | 1,786 |
| 2019 | 9 | 2,266 |
| 2020 | 12 | 1,825 |
| 2021 | 5 | 3,451 |
| 2022 | 7 | 2,755 |
| 2023 | 11 | 2,007 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2,088 |
| 2025 | 6 | 3,256 |

## People named Gareth

- Gareth Barry, English association football player
- Gareth Southgate, English professional football manager and former player (born 1970)
- Gareth Edwards, British filmmaker
- Gareth Gates, British singer
- Gareth Marriott, Canoe racer
- Gareth Hunt, British actor (1942–2007)
- Gareth Thomas, British actor (1945–2016)
- Gareth Thomas, English politician (born 1967)
- Gareth Ainsworth, English professional footballer (born 1973)
- Gareth Evans, British philosopher (1946–1980)
- Gareth Porter, American historian
- Gareth Evans, Australian international policymaker and former politician

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.