Gaither
Masculine
Gaither is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 642 boys against 6 girls since 1880.
Gaither is an old Maryland surname that gave its name to a town and, much later, to one of the best-known families in gospel music. Two syllables with a long a, it has the firm, settled sound of the surname names Americans have given sons and daughters since the nineteenth century.
How old is the name Gaither?
Gaither first appears in US birth records in 1895 — 130 years ago. The typical Gaither alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 200 people named Gaither are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gaither most popular?
Gaither peaked in 1895, reaching #872 nationally. See the whole 1895 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Gaither
Gaither has the feel of a name that belongs to a place, and it does: Gaithersburg, Maryland, grew up around the farm of Benjamin Gaither, who settled there at the start of the nineteenth century, and the town still carries his name. More than a century later the name traveled again, this time by song: Bill and Gloria Gaither of Indiana wrote hymns such as 'Because He Lives' that are sung in churches across the country, and their Gaither Vocal Band made the surname a byword in Southern gospel. A name that has been a farm, a town and a harmony carries plenty of story without needing a dictionary entry.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Gaither is an English surname established in colonial Maryland. Its earlier origin is not settled; it is not documented as a form of 'gather'.
Pronouncing Gaither
GAY-ther
Two syllables with a long a, and the th of 'the' rather than of 'thin'.
Nicknames for Gaither
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1895
- Most boys named
- 191821 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #872reached in 1895
- Change vs 1991
- 0.0%5 in 1992, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Gaithers among us
people named Gaither are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Gaither sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A real American surname with a town named after it.
- Recognized by many through the Gaither family's gospel music.
- Rare as a first name, so a Gaither is unlikely to meet another.
- People will hear 'gather' and may say it that way until corrected.
- The American record holds this spelling for girls as well as boys, so either child may be assumed on paper to be the other.
- For many churchgoing families the gospel association comes first, which suits some parents and not others.
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Gaither
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Gaithers are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Gaither are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gaither in 2025?
- Gaither is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Gaither with classmates?
- Gaither will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More G names
The most-given names starting with G, all years combined.
George#126 · Gary#1073 · Gregory#593 · Gerald#1204 · Gabriel#37 · Glenn#1443 · Gavin#303 · Gordon#1051
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gaither? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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