Boy · Germanic (via Norman French) · Christian
Gilbert
GilbertSay it GIL-burt
- Meaning
- Bright pledge; from gisil 'pledge, hostage' and berht 'bright' Bosworth-Toller, entries 17137 (gísel) and 3741 (beorht)
- Say it
- GIL-burt
- Other spellings
- Gilberto
Gilbert
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Gilbert meaning
Gilbert is a Christian boy's name of Germanic origin (via Norman French).
Bright pledge; from gisil 'pledge, hostage' and berht 'bright'
Gilbert came to England with the Normans from the Germanic name Gisilberht, recorded in the Domesday Book as Gislebertus. Its first part is the word for a pledge or hostage, Old English gísel, and its second is 'bright' or 'famous', Old English beorht, so name lists give it as 'bright pledge'. In medieval England it was the name of St Gilbert of Sempringham, founder of the Gilbertine order. In India the name is used by Christian families in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Mangalore.
Source: Bosworth-Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entries 17137 (gísel) and 3741 (beorht) · entry gísel; beorht · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Bosworth-Toller, gísel · Bosworth-Toller, beorht · Wikipedia, Gilbert (given name) · Geneanet, Gilbert
Famous namesakes
- St Gilbert of Sempringham, 12th-century English founder
Spellings
Gilbert · Gilberto