Gaston
Masculine · “from Gascony”
Gaston is a French name with two possible ancestries, both plausible: a man from Gascony, or a Germanic word for a guest and a stranger. It has been in French use since the Middle Ages.
How old is the name Gaston?
Gaston first appears in US birth records in 1881 — 144 years ago. The typical Gaston alive today was born around 1953, making them about 72 years old. About 2,100 people named Gaston are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gaston most popular?
Gaston peaked in 1903, reaching #527 nationally. Today it ranks #3379, 2,852 places below that high. See the whole 1903 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Gaston
Gaston was borne by counts of Foix and viscounts of Béarn from the eleventh century onward, in the Pyrenean country where Gascony and the Basque lands meet — which is one reason the regional reading is attractive. It became a standard French name and traveled to Quebec, Louisiana and the French Caribbean. It reaches American records with families from all of those, and it was in real use in the United States around 1900.
Meaningscholars disagree
from Gascony, or guest
One reading takes the name from Gascony, the region of south-western France, whose own name comes from the Basques. The other builds it on the Germanic gast, a guest or stranger, which Frankish naming used freely. Neither has been settled.
Pronouncing Gaston
gas-TOHN
Two syllables with the stress on the second in French and Spanish. English speakers say GAS-tun.
Nicknames for Gaston
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
- 1881
- Most boys named
- 192169 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #527reached in 1903
- Change vs 2022
- +25.9%34 in 2025, from 27
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.
Gaston in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gastón in Spanish — same name
- Gastone in Italian — same name
- Gastão in Portuguese — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California.
Gastons among us
people named Gaston are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 50,238 born in 2025 was named Gaston
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Gaston 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 Gaston is headed
Gaston should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. 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.
Gaston beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Gaston in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented French record reaching back to the eleventh century.
- It works in French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese with only small changes.
- Two syllables and six letters, easy to write.
- A well-known animated villain carries the name, and for one generation that is the whole association.
- The French and English pronunciations differ in stress and in every vowel.
- The meaning is genuinely contested between two readings.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Gaston 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 Gaston? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Gaston
Masculine · #3379 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Gastons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Gaston are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gaston in 2025?
- Gaston ranks #3379 among US boy names in 2025, with 34 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Gaston?
- About 1 in every 50,238 US boys born in 2025 was named Gaston — 34 in all.
- Will my child share the name Gaston with classmates?
- Gaston will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Gaston
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Art#3379 · Sampson#3379 · Kiernan#3379 · Benyamin#3379 · Quamir#3379 · Madhav#3379 · Tuff#3379 · Hubert#3379
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gaston? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Gaston 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