as a First Name
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. It was extremely popular in the 1980s but has since faded slightly.
| 2,706th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Quick facts
- Thousands
- of people in the U.S have this name
- 6,480
- to be exact (as of February 2011)
- Hawaii
- has the most people named Gemma per capita
- 2010
- marked the height of its popularity
100%
0%
4%
55+
55+
6%
30-54
30-54
8%
13-29
13-29
82%
0-12
0-12
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map