Gem

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 9 languages in the etymology graph.

Often considered alongside

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

• Jem
• Jemma
• Jemima
• Jewel
• Emerald
• Jenna
• Pearl
• Fawn
• Jen
• Amethyst
• Jade
• Diamond

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.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

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

• a separate name2 spellings in the group

  Also written Gêm

• a separate name6 spellings in the group

  Also written Gém, Gēm, Ğém, Gëm

60 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.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Gem is also recorded in 6 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In xgn-pro, 1 defect, illness, damage 2 to regret

  as a word·StarLing Tower of Babel etymological databases (Starostin et al.)

• In English, A precious stone, usually of substantial monetary value or prized for its beauty or shine.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-5 language code for Germanic languages.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Romanian, jam (sweet mixture of fruit boiled with sugar)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In bfg, hold, take hold of; touch

  as a word·Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (ACD), CLDF v2.0

• In Polish, game (part of a set)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

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.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Harry Gemb. 1819GBEnglish lawyer, soldier, writer and sportsman (1819–1881)
• Adolphe Jaimeb. 1825FRnot in their usual nameFrench librettist (1825-1901)
• Gem Hoahingb. 1920GBBritish-Chinese tennis player (1920-2015)
• Gem Souleymanb. 1987GBBritish actor
• Gem DegerCZCzech actor and screenwriter
• Gem Dotresearcher

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).

Evidence●(measured from records)

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

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Gem mean, and where does it come from?

Inherited from Middle English gemme, gimme, yimme, ȝimme, from Old English ġimm, from Proto-West Germanic *gimmu (“gem”) and Old French gemme (“gem”), both from Latin gemma (“a swelling bud; jewel, ge… Recorded by The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland and 국립국어원 외래어 표기 용례 자료 (NIKL loanword/foreign-name transcription examples) and 2 other sources.

In which country does Gem have the most bearers?

Gem is most frequently recorded in the Netherlands, where it is most often spelled gem.