Gaillard
A French name meaning "strapping fellow" or "stout person".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Gaillard. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gaillard today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gaillard births was 1913 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gaillard. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gaillard. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1913
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1913 SSA rank
#2,606
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Gaillard: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gaillard by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gaillard during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gaillard
The name Gaillard originated in France and is derived from the Old French word "gaillart," meaning "lively" or "jovial." It was a common nickname or descriptive surname given to those with a cheerful or spirited demeanor during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gaillard dates back to the 12th century in various French historical records and literary works. One notable early example is Robert Gaillard, a French poet and trouvère from the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, Gaillard de Mauléon was a French knight and troubadour who served under Richard I of England during the Third Crusade. He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles for his military exploits and poetic works.
During the Renaissance period, Jean Gaillard was a French painter and engraver active in the 16th century. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Fontainebleau school of painting.
In the 17th century, Claude Gaillard was a French architect and engineer who worked on notable projects such as the Palais du Luxembourg and the Château de Versailles under Louis XIV.
Another notable figure was Antoine Gaillard, an 18th-century French historian and writer who authored several works on the history of France, including Histoire de la Rivalité de la France et de l'Angleterre.
While the name Gaillard has its roots in France, it has been used in various other cultures and regions over time, particularly in areas influenced by French culture and language. However, its historical significance and earliest recorded examples can be traced back to medieval France.
People
Gaillard + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gaillard as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gaillard: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gaillard?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gaillard going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Gaillard a common name?
We classify Gaillard as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gaillard most popular?
The single biggest year for Gaillard was 1913, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gaillard is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gaillard in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gaillard a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gaillard in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gaillard still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gaillard in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gaillard can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Gaillard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.