Gilmore
Masculine
Gilmore is a surname from the Gaelic-speaking world used as a first name. Its first syllable is a whole word doing one specific job: marking somebody as the servant of a named saint.
How old is the name Gilmore?
Gilmore first appears in US birth records in 1902 — 123 years ago. The typical Gilmore alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 200 people named Gilmore are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gilmore most popular?
Gilmore peaked in 1914, reaching #986 nationally. See the whole 1914 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Gilmore
Gaelic naming produced a whole class of names built on gille, a servant or lad, followed by a saint's name: servant of Mary, servant of Patrick, servant of Columba, servant of Christ. They were given as personal names and then froze into surnames, which is why Scotland and Ireland are full of families whose names are devotional statements nobody translates any more. Gilchrist, Gilmartin, Gilpatrick, Gillespie and Gilmore are all built that way. The same element sits inside Gillian by coincidence and not by descent, which is exactly the kind of trap that makes surname etymology slow work.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The Gaelic behind it is generally read as servant or devotee of Mary, and the derivation is reasonably secure. Whether an American Gilmore comes from the Scottish or the Irish line is not recorded.
Pronouncing Gilmore
GIL-mor
Two syllables with the stress in front and a hard g. Nothing in it invites hesitation.
Nicknames for Gilmore
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
- 1902
- Most boys named
- 191432 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #986reached in 1914
- Change vs 1991
- 0.0%5 in 1994, 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.
Gilmores among us
people named Gilmore 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
Gilmore 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
- Gil comes off the front as a short form and is established in its own right.
- It is read correctly at first sight and never needs spelling out loud.
- It sits in the familiar family of surnames Americans use in front position.
- A long-running television series has owned the name for one generation of viewers.
- It reads as a surname to most listeners, which suits some families and not others.
- No origin is documented for the first name, so the meaning question has nothing settled behind it.
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Gilmore
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Gilmores 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 Gilmore are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gilmore in 2025?
- Gilmore is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Gilmore with classmates?
- Gilmore 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 Gilmore? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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