Gilmer
Masculine · “Servant of Mary”
The gil at the front of a whole family of Scottish and Irish names means a servant, and what follows is who the servant belonged to. Gilchrist is the servant of Christ, Gillespie the servant of the bishop, Gilmartin the servant of Martin, and Gilmer is the servant of Mary.
How old is the name Gilmer?
Gilmer first appears in US birth records in 1907 — 118 years ago. The typical Gilmer alive today was born around 1932, making them about 93 years old. About 400 people named Gilmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gilmer most popular?
Gilmer peaked in 1907, reaching #930 nationally. See the whole 1907 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Gille Moire to Gilmer
The story of Gilmer
These names are among the most legible in the whole surname stock, once the pattern is pointed out. A man was described as the servant or devotee of a particular saint, the description became a byname, the byname became hereditary, and a thousand years later it is a surname on a mailbox in Tennessee with nobody involved having any idea that a saint is in it. The pattern was productive enough that dozens survive: Gilmour, Gilroy, Gilfillan, Gilbride, Gilkison. Scotland and Ireland both used it heavily and the English spellings have flattened the differences between them, so that names from two languages and several centuries now look like one group.
Meaningscholars disagree
Servant of Mary
Gaelic gille, a servant or attendant, with a saint's name after it; the second element here is generally read as Moire, the form of Mary reserved for the Virgin. An Old English origin has also been proposed and cannot be ruled out. The devotional reading is the likelier and is not certain.
How the name formed
- Gille Moire
- Gilmore
- Gilmer
Related forms: Gille Moire
Pronouncing Gilmer
GIL-mur
Two syllables with the stress at the front and a reduced second, which is why Gilmer, Gilmore and Gilmour are all said nearly identically in American speech and are all in the records.
Nicknames for Gilmer
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
- 1907
- Most boys named
- 191636 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #930reached in 1907
- Change vs 2022
- +40.0%7 in 2024, 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.
Gilmer in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gille Moire in Scottish Gaelic — related form
Gilmers among us
people named Gilmer 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
Gilmer 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
- Short, firm and easy to spell once heard, with no silent letters.
- Gil is a plain one-syllable everyday name sitting in the front half.
- It has a real and documented Gaelic history rather than an invented one.
- It reads as a surname and will be entered in the wrong column on forms.
- Gilmore and Gilmour are both commoner and will be substituted.
- The name is strongly dated to the turn of the last century in American records.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Gilmer 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 Gilmer? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Gilmer
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Gilmers are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Gilmer are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gilmer in 2025?
- Gilmer is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Gilmer with classmates?
- Gilmer 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 Gilmer? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Gilmer 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