Gaius
Masculine
Gaius was the commonest of the small set of first names Roman men actually used, and its meaning has been unknown since antiquity — the Romans themselves could not agree.
How old is the name Gaius?
Gaius first appears in US birth records in 1920 — 105 years ago. The typical Gaius is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 500 people named Gaius are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gaius most popular?
Gaius peaked in 2014, reaching #2805 nationally. Today it ranks #3583, 778 places below that high. See the whole 2014 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Gaius
Republican Rome used about seventeen first names in all, which is why so many Romans share one, and Gaius was the most common. It was abbreviated C. in inscriptions, preserving the spelling from before the letter G was invented — one of the neatest pieces of evidence for how the alphabet changed. The name appears in the New Testament as well, and it entered English use through both routes.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The origin is not established. An ancient derivation from gaudere, to rejoice, is offered and doubted; an Etruscan source has also been proposed, which would put the name outside Latin entirely. The name is certainly very old and certainly unexplained.
Pronouncing Gaius
GY-us
Two syllables, first stressed. Classical Latin gives GA-ee-us, with three.
Nicknames for Gaius
Moderate
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
- 1920
- Most boys named
- 201442 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2805reached in 2014
- Change vs 2024
- 0.0%31 in 2025, from 31
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.
Gaius in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gaio in Italian — same name
- Caio in Portuguese — same name
- Cayo in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Gaiuss among us
people named Gaius are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 55,099 born in 2025 was named Gaius
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Perkins test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Gaius's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Perkins climbed just as high around 1921, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Perkins's path sketches the road Gaius is walking now.
Gaius sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Gaius is headed
Gaius looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 16% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Gaius beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Gaius in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One of the oldest documented Roman first names, in continuous written record for over two thousand years.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- It appears in the New Testament as well as in Roman history.
- The meaning is genuinely unknown, which surprises people given the name's age.
- English readers are unsure whether the initial G is hard or soft.
- A science-fiction television character carries the name, which is a strong association for some.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Gaius to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Gaius? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Gaius
Masculine · #3583 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Gaiuss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Gaius are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gaius in 2025?
- Gaius ranks #3583 among US boy names in 2025, with 31 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Gaius?
- About 1 in every 55,099 US boys born in 2025 was named Gaius — 31 in all.
- Will my child share the name Gaius with classmates?
- Gaius will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Gaius
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Geoffrey#3583 · Robinson#3583 · Kimani#3583 · Emre#3583 · Yoan#3583 · Anirudh#3583 · Sutter#3583 · Heber#3583
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gaius? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Gaius and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle