Gemma

Locally spelled Jema in IN India.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records, and ○ marks a model's transliteration; click a spelling to open its page.

• English:/ˈd͡ʒɛmə/●(recorded in a dictionary) from Wiktionary
• Spanish:/çema/○(machine-generated) model-generated

Readings marked model-generated were transcribed by a model; the others are quoted from the dictionary named.

Attested across 6 languages in the etymology graph.

Gemma is one spelling over 2 language communities, and the dictionaries record it differently in 2 of them. Each row is what a source recorded for that language, beside the share of this name’s records the language holds. No single row is the name’s meaning.

• English64%

  Italian for ‘gem’; used in Ireland for St Gemma Galgani (died 1903).

  as a name·Irish first names

  vernacular pronunciation of James, used for men and women alike; first attested Alan Gemma 1198 P (Nth)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• Spanish27%

  Latin gemma, 'gem, precious stone'; originally 'bud, shoot' from the notion of a budding plant.

  as a name·Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios

The share is ours — how much of this name’s records each language holds. The sense beside it is the source’s, quoted and credited, including where it names a gender. We do not publish a gender of our own per language: our records carry one figure for the spelling as a whole.

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Gemma, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Cora
• Freya
• Fiona
• Jenna
• Esme

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Gemma is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Spain, Philippines, Mexico, United States

  Languages: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

  Also written Gëmmä, Gemmà, Gëmma, Gémmá

• Russian given name20 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Spain

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Polish

  Also written Джемма, Гемма, Dzhemma, Джэмма, Гэмма

53 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Gemma is also recorded in 3 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• From a medieval Italian nickname meaning ‘gem’, ‘jewel’. It has been chosen in modern times mainly because of its transparent etymology. Among Roman Catholics it is sometimes chosen in honour of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), who was the subject of many extraordinary signs of grace, such as ecstasies and the appearance of the stigmata. Variant: Jemma.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• from the popular medieval female personal name Gemma (from gemma ‘gem’, ‘precious stone’).

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• From a medieval Italian nickname meaning ‘jewel’. See main dictionary.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Gemma Jonesb. 1942GBBritish actress
• Gemma Artertonb. 1986GBBritish actress
• Gemma Wardb. 1987AUAustralian model and actress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

97 registers and reference works attest this spelling, across 46 countries.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Which countries have the most people named Gemma?

Mondonomo estimates about 148 thousand people named Gemma in the Philippines, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled gemma. After it come United Kingdom, India, Spain and United States; the country table on this page ranks them.

What are other forms of the name Gemma?

In the etymology graph, Gema and Jemma are forms of the same name in other languages.

Is Gemma a male or female name?

Gemma is a female name. National registers that list it by sex list it as female: Spain (INE), United States (Census Bureau, 2020), Netherlands (Meertens NVB) and France (INSEE, 2024), among others.

How do you pronounce Gemma?

It depends on the language: in English /ˈd͡ʒɛmə/ (Wiktionary); in Spanish /çema/. Transcriptions are machine-generated except where a dictionary is named.

Where does the name Gemma come from?

Latin gemma, 'gem, precious stone'; originally 'bud, shoot' from the notion of a budding plant. Recorded by Diccionario etimológico de nombres propios.

What does the name Gemma mean?

In English, Italian for ‘gem’; used in Ireland for St Gemma Galgani (died 1903).

How common is the name Gemma?

In Spain, the national register counted 30,784 people named Gemma, about 1 in 1.6 thousand residents.

How common is Gemma compared with other names?

In the Philippines, Gemma is the 179th most common given name of 486,299 given names recorded there.