# Gemma (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gemma/  
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 | girls |
| Origin | Italian |
| Meaning | “jewel” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɛmə/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Gem, Gemmy |
| Variant spellings | Jemma |
| US babies named this | 26,042 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 26,042 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 8,354, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Ultimately from Latin gemma (“jewel”). The given name is mostly borrowed via Italian Gemma; the spelling Jemma in particular is associated with James. Doublet of gemma and gem.

## What it means

Gemma is grouped under jewel.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 910 | 352 |
| 2012 | 1,017 | 319 |
| 2013 | 1,026 | 316 |
| 2014 | 1,219 | 272 |
| 2015 | 1,174 | 269 |
| 2016 | 1,274 | 247 |
| 2017 | 1,254 | 255 |
| 2018 | 1,384 | 228 |
| 2019 | 1,526 | 198 |
| 2020 | 1,388 | 208 |
| 2021 | 1,554 | 190 |
| 2022 | 1,509 | 197 |
| 2023 | 1,655 | 176 |
| 2024 | 1,517 | 203 |
| 2025 | 1,805 | 170 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 89 | 480 |
| 2012 | 73 | 580 |
| 2013 | 37 | 982 |
| 2014 | 38 | 963 |
| 2015 | 44 | 845 |
| 2016 | 33 | 1,057 |
| 2017 | 20 | 1,568 |
| 2018 | 18 | 1,649 |
| 2019 | 14 | 1,940 |
| 2020 | 11 | 2,300 |
| 2021 | 14 | 1,962 |
| 2022 | 17 | 1,685 |
| 2023 | 14 | 1,959 |
| 2024 | 20 | 1,541 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4,867 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Gemma
- Italian: Gemma
- Polish: Gemma
- Russian: Дже́мма
- Spanish: Gemma

## People named Gemma

- Gemma Arterton, British actress
- Gemma Chan, British actress (born 1982)
- Gemma Frisius, Frisian physician, mathematician and cartographer (1508–1555)
- Gemma Ward, Australian model and actress
- Gemma Jones, British actress
- Gemma Atkinson, British actress and model
- Gemma Whelan, English actress (born 1981)
- Gemma Gibbons, British judoka
- Gemma Spofforth, British swimmer, Olympic athlete, world champion, world record holder
- Gemma Beadsworth, Australian water polo player
- Gemma Font Oliveras, Catalan association football player
- Gemma Bonner, English footballer (born 1991)

## 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.