Gilbert (given name)
![]() Stained glass of Gilbert de Moravia | |
Pronunciation | /ˈɡɪlbɜːrt/ French: [ʒil.bɛʁ] |
---|---|
Gender | Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | Norman-French |
Meaning | gisel + beraht |
Other names | |
Related names | Gilberto, Gilberte, Gil |
Gilbert is a given name of Norman-French origin,[1] itself from Germanic Gisilberht or Gisalberht.[2][3] Original spellings included Gislebert, Guilbert and Gilebert. The first element, Gil-, comes from Germanic gīsil, meaning "shaft of an arrow" or gisal "pledge, hostage", while the second element, -bert comes from Germanic -behrt, short form of beraht, meaning "bright" or "famous".[4][5] The name spread in France and was introduced to England by the Normans, where it was popular during the Middle Ages. That is the reason the pronunciation Gil- [gil] reflects the Northern Norman one [gil], as opposed to Old French [dʒil] > French [ʒil] and explains the alternative spelling Guilbert with Guil- [gil].
Variant spellings have evolved throughout Europe, including the Iberian/Italian version Gilberto and, as was the custom across Europe, given a Latin language version Gilbertus, to be used alongside a person's native variant. The diminutives Gil, Gillie and Bert eventually became popular as a standalone given name or nickname. Gilberte is the feminized version of the name. Gilbert, with variant spellings, is also used as a surname (see Gilbert (surname)).
Translations
[edit]- Arabic: غيلبرت
- Belarusian: Гілберт (Hilbiert)
- Bengali: গিলবার্ট (Gilabārṭa)
- Chinese Simplified: 吉尔伯特 (Jí'ěr bó tè)
- Chinese Traditional: 吉爾伯特 (Jí'ěr bó tè)
- English: Gilbert
- French: Gilbert
- German: Gilbert
- Gujarati: ગિલ્બર્ટ (Gilbarṭa)
- Hebrew: גילברט
- Hindi: गिल्बर्ट (Gilbarṭ)
- Indonesian: Gilbert
- Italian: Gilberto
- Japanese: ギルバート (Girubāto)
- Kannada: ಗಿಲ್ಬರ್ಟ್ (Gilbarṭ)
- Korean: 길버트 (Gilbeoteu)
- Lithuanian: Gilbertas
- Macedonian: Гилберт
- Marathi: गिल्बर्ट (Gilbarṭa)
- Mongolian: Гилберт (Gilbyert)
- Nepali: गिल्बर्ट (Gilbarṭa)
- Persian: گیلبرت
- Portuguese: Gilberto
- Russian: Гилберт
- Serbo-Croatian: Gìlbert / Гѝлберт
- Spanish: Gilberto
- Tamil: கில்பர்ட் (Kilparṭ)
- Telugu: గిల్బర్ట్ (Gilbarṭ)
- Thai: กิลเบิร์ต (Kilbeir̒)
- Turkish: Jilbert, Jilber
- Ukrainian: Гілберт (Hilbert)
- Urdu: گلبرٹ
- Yiddish: גילבערט (Gilbert)
People with the name
[edit]- Saint Gilbert (disambiguation), multiple persons
- Gilbert (Archdeacon of Lismore), early 13th-century Irish Catholic priest
- Gilbert, Count of Brionne (c. 1000–c. 1040), French noble
- Gilbert, Count of Gravina (fl. 1159–1167), Norman French noble in Italy
- Gilbert, Count of Montpensier (1443–1496), French noble
- Gilbert of Glenluce (died 1253), Scottish, 13th-century Cistercian monk, abbot and bishop
- Gilbert of Sempringham (c. 1083–1190), the only Englishman to found a monastic order
- Gilbertus Anglicus or Gilbert of England (c. 1180 – c. 1250), English physician
- Gilbert Arenas (born 1982), professional basketball player
- Gilbert Bécaud (1927–2001), French singer, composer, pianist and actor
- Gilbert Brown (born 1971), American football player
- Gilbert Brulé (born 1987), Canadian ice hockey player
- Gilbert Buatère, Norman adventurer, one of the principal commanders of Battle of Cannae (1018)
- Gilbert Bundy (1911–1955), American cartoonist and illustrator
- Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter, administrative officer in the Royal Navy and a colonial official for the British Empire, administrator for Gambia, governor for the Lagos Colony, governor for The Bahamas and Barbados and governor for Trinidad and Tobago
- Gilbert Cates (1934–2011), American film director and television producer
- Gilbert Cavan (died 1420), Scottish cleric
- G. K. Chesterton (Gilbert Keith Chesterton, 1874–1936), English writer
- Gilbert Crispin (c. 1055–1117), Anglo-Norman monk appointed abbot, proctor, and servant of Westminster Abbey
- Gilbert Cruz (born 1980), Puerto Rican professional wrestler
- Gilbert de Beauregard Robinson (1906–1992), Canadian mathematician
- Gilbert de Chambrun (1909–2009), French politician
- Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c. 1100–1148), Anglo-Norman earl
- Gilbert de la Porrée or Gilbertus Porretanus (1070–1154), French scholastic logician and theologian
- Gilbert Doucet (1956–2020), French rugby union player
- Gilbert Dragon,(1969-2021) Haitian police chief and guerrilla leader
- Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), French general and politician who fought in the American Revolution and was involved in the French Revolution
- Gilbert Eisner, American fencer
- Gilbert John Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the eighth since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and 17th Governor-General of India
- Gilbert Franklin (1919–2004), American sculptor, educator.
- Gilbert Gottfried (1955–2022), American actor and stand-up comedian
- Gilbert Greenall (humanitarian advisor) (born 1954), UN Humanitarian advisor
- Gilbert Gress (born 1941), French football coach and former football player
- Gil Hodges (1924–1972), American baseball player
- Gilbert von In der Maur (1887–1959), Austrian SS leader and journalist
- Gilbert Khunwane (born 1977), Batswana boxer
- Gilbert Levin (1924–2021), American engineer
- Gilbert Mamery (1927–2003), Puerto Rican disc-jockey, musicologist, radio station owner, radio and television personality, marketing impresario, and composer
- Gilbert Marouani (1933–2016), Tunisian-born music producer and agent
- Gilbert Melendez (born 1982), American mixed martial artist
- Gilbert Daniel Nessim (born 1966), chemistry professor at Bar-Ilan University
- Gilbert Ouy (1924–2011), French historian, palaeographer and librarian
- Gilbert Reaney (1924–2008), English musicologist
- Gilbert Rozon (born 1954), Canadian impresario
- Gilbert O'Sullivan (born 1946), stage name of Irish musician Raymond Edward O'Sullivan
- Gilbert Pena (born 1949), Texas politician
- Gilbert E. Patterson (1939–2007), American Pentecostal clergyman
- Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828), American painter
- Gilbert Tosetti (1879–1923), English cricketer
- Gilbert Tuhabonye (born 1974), American long-distance runner
- Gilbert F. White (1911–2006), American geographer
Fictional characters
[edit]- Gilbert, a cat in the Canadian children's television series Caillou
- Gilbert, an anthropomorphic globe from Don't Hug Me I'm Scared
- Gilbert Bates, a recurring character in the television series Leave It to Beaver
- Gilbert Beilschmidt, the human name of the personification of Prussia in the anime series Hetalia: Axis Powers
- Gilbert Blythe, a character in the novel series Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Gilbert Bougainvillea, a major in the Leidenschaftlich army from the anime and manga Violet Evergarden
- Gilbert Cocteau, one of the main characters of the manga series Kaze to Ki no Uta
- Gilbert Dauterive, the cousin of the Bill Dauterive in the animated television series King of the Hill
- Gilbert Grape, the eponymous character of the 1993 film What's Eating Gilbert Grape
- Gil Grissom, a forensic entomologist in the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
- Gibert Huph, a character in the 2004 Disney/Pixar animated film The Incredibles
- Gilbert G.P. Guilford, the commander of the Glaston Knights in the anime series Code Geass
- Gilbert Markham, the principal narrator of the novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
- Gilbert Nightray, a character in the manga and anime series Pandora Hearts
Popularity
[edit]In England and Wales, Gilbert ranked 64th in popularity in 1904, 72nd in 1914 and 95th in 1924. By 1934 it had dropped out of the Top 100.[6]
See also
[edit]- Gilberto
- Gille Brigte (disambiguation)
- Gislebertus, 12th-century sculptor
References
[edit]- ^ "Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Gilbert". Retrieved 2013-05-12.
- ^ Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980, édition revue et commentée par Marie-Thérèse Morlet. p. 292a.
- ^ Etymology of "Gilbert"
- ^ DAUZAT 292a.
- ^ Etymology of "Gisilberht"
- ^ Popular Baby Names, 1904-1994 (UK Office of National Statistics)