Head to head · Girls' names
Gemma vs Genevieve
#170 vs #148 in 2025
Genevieve is a whisker ahead (#148 vs #170 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Genevieve is holding its place on the charts, Gemma is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Gemma has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Genevieve leads 5 measures of 6; Gemma leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Gemma —, Genevieve #184 — Genevieve higher
- 1890s: Gemma —, Genevieve #151 — Genevieve higher
- 1900s: Gemma #1687, Genevieve #121 — Genevieve higher
- 1910s: Gemma #1591, Genevieve #84 — Genevieve higher
- 1920s: Gemma #1964, Genevieve #112 — Genevieve higher
- 1930s: Gemma #2277, Genevieve #194 — Genevieve higher
- 1940s: Gemma #2204, Genevieve #320 — Genevieve higher
- 1950s: Gemma #1906, Genevieve #510 — Genevieve higher
- 1960s: Gemma #2255, Genevieve #622 — Genevieve higher
- 1970s: Gemma #2762, Genevieve #508 — Genevieve higher
- 1980s: Gemma #2382, Genevieve #461 — Genevieve higher
- 1990s: Gemma #1855, Genevieve #530 — Genevieve higher
- 2000s: Gemma #1176, Genevieve #389 — Genevieve higher
- 2010s: Gemma #291, Genevieve #206 — Genevieve higher
- 2020s: Gemma #191, Genevieve #161 — Genevieve higher
Genevieve stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Gemma | Genevieve |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #184 |
| 1890s | — | #151 |
| 1900s | #1687 | #121 |
| 1910s | #1591 | #84 |
| 1920s | #1964 | #112 |
| 1930s | #2277 | #194 |
| 1940s | #2204 | #320 |
| 1950s | #1906 | #510 |
| 1960s | #2255 | #622 |
| 1970s | #2762 | #508 |
| 1980s | #2382 | #461 |
| 1990s | #1855 | #530 |
| 2000s | #1176 | #389 |
| 2010s | #291 | #206 |
| 2020s | #191 | #161 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Gemma
Gem, precious stone
Directly from Latin gemma, which meant both a bud on a vine and a jewel. Italian kept the word unchanged as a given name.
Latin gemma → Italian Gemma → Catalan/Spanish Gema → English Gemma
How it traveled
Gemma began as an ordinary Latin noun and became a personal name in medieval Italy, where it was given as a term of endearment — the child as the jewel. Its best-known early bearer is Gemma Donati, the Florentine woman who married Dante Alighieri in the late thirteenth century.
Genevieve
Not settled — the leading readings point to Gaulish words for kin or tribe
The Latin form Genovefa is well documented from the fifth century onward, but its etymology is not. One line of scholarship reads the first part as a Gaulish element meaning 'kin, people, tribe'; another proposes a Germanic origin along the lines of Kunowefa, with 'woman' or 'wife' as the second element. Neither has won. The name is much better attested than its meaning.
Genovefa → Geneviève → Genevieve
How it traveled
The name enters the record as Genovefa, borne by Genevieve of Paris, the fifth-century woman credited with rallying the city as Attila's forces approached — she became its patron saint, and her cult kept the name alive in France through the Middle Ages. French speakers wore it down to Geneviève, and Norman French carried it across the Channel, where English speakers dropped the accents and settled on Genevieve.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Gemma
JEM-uh
Soft G, as in gem, in English, Italian and Catalan alike. A hard-G reading (GHEM-ah) is the usual first guess from speakers of languages where G stays hard before E, so expect to correct it now and then.
- Gem — The standard short form in English, informal, and occasionally written Jem.
- Gemmy — Family-level diminutive, mostly used with small children.
- Em — Occasional, borrowed from the second syllable; more common where an Emma or Emily is not already in the house.
Genevieve
JEN-uh-veev
That is the settled English pronunciation. The French Geneviève is zhuhn-vee-EV, and some families use it; both are correct for their own language, so it is worth deciding which one you will offer when people ask.
- Evie — Informal short form taken from the middle of the name; also stands alone as a given name in its own right.
- Viv — Informal; overlaps with the short form of Vivian, so it may need explaining.
- Gen — Informal and quick, common among schoolmates and family.
- Genny — Informal; sometimes spelled Jenny, which pulls it toward Jennifer.
- Also Neve, Ginny.
Who has carried each name
Gemma
Gemma Chan (b. 1982) — Crazy Rich Asians star
Gemma Arterton (b. 1986) — Bond girl turned acclaimed stage actress
Genevieve
Genevieve of Paris (b. 423) — Patron saint of Paris who rallied the city against Attila the Hun
Genevieve Nnaji (b. 1979) — Nollywood superstar and director
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Gemma if you want…
- a name fewer children share#170 in 2025 — gemma will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name on the way upup 38 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesGemma is 2 syllables to Genevieve's 3
- a newer arrivalGemma entered the US charts in 1904
Choose Genevieve if you want…
- a name most people already know#148 in 2025, 1,981 babies that year
- a name holding steadyGenevieve is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itGenevieve runs 3 syllables, Gemma 2
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Evie, Viv and Gen
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Gemma
Strengths
- Spells itself from the sound and reads correctly on sight for most English speakers, with no variant spellings competing for attention.
- Transparent meaning — the Latin word for jewel, unchanged — so the sense never needs explaining or defending.
- Works unaltered in Italian, Catalan and Dutch, and needs only one dropped letter in Spanish.
To consider
- It rhymes closely with Emma, one of the most-used girls' names of the past few decades. Expect the occasional mishearing on the phone and in classrooms where an Emma is already sitting.
- The soft G is not obvious to everyone. Speakers of Italian aside, people who read it before they hear it sometimes try a hard G, and the correction becomes a small lifelong habit.
- The name is climbing steadily in the US rather than holding flat, so a child born now may meet more Gemmas at twenty than at five — worth knowing if rarity is part of the appeal.
Genevieve
Strengths
- A documented record stretching back to late antiquity, with a continuous line from Latin Genovefa through French Geneviève.
- Recognizable in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Polish, each with its own established form of the same name.
- An unusually generous set of established short forms — Evie, Viv, Gen, Neve — so the child has real choices later.
To consider
- The spelling is known but not automatic: Genevive and Genivieve turn up, and Guinevere — a separate Welsh name entirely — gets confused with it. Expect to spell it aloud sometimes.
- Two pronunciations circulate, English JEN-uh-veev and French zhuhn-vee-EV, and both are legitimate. Families usually pick one early and repeat it.
- Four syllables is a lot to pair with a long surname, though the short forms take the weight off in daily use.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Gemma
50%chance Gemma feels dated by 2040
Gemma is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Genevieve
25%chance Genevieve feels dated by 2040
Genevieve peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Gemma and Genevieve in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Names at their all-time peak, right now
- Five-letter names, the comfortable middle
- Names with a double letter
- Gemstone names: small treasures
- all guides
Where Gemma and Genevieve each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Gemma or Genevieve — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Gemma or Genevieve?
- Genevieve, in 2025: Genevieve ranked #148 with 1,981 babies; Gemma ranked #170 with 1,805 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Gemma or Genevieve?
- Gemma. Over the last five years Gemma moved up 38 places; Genevieve moved up 21 places.
- Which is the older name, Gemma or Genevieve?
- Gemma entered the US charts in 1904; Genevieve was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Genevieve is the older name.
- How many people are named Gemma and Genevieve?
- About 25,000 people named Gemma are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 58,500 people named Genevieve are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Gemmas or Genevieves in the classroom?
- Gemma will almost certainly be the only one in school. Genevieve will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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