Gaje
An Indian masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "elephant".
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the first name Gaje. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gaje today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gaje births was 2006 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gaje. 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.
People living today
135
~ 1 in 2,538,921 Americans
Peak year
2006
11 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2011 SSA rank
#12,918
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Gaje: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gaje from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 93 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gaje 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 Gaje during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gaje
The name Gaje is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-Aryan languages spoken in ancient India. The name can be traced back to the 6th century BCE, and it is derived from the Sanskrit word "gaja," which means "elephant."
In Hindu mythology, the elephant is a revered animal and is often associated with strength, wisdom, and good luck. The name Gaje was likely given to children with the hope that they would possess these qualities. The name also has variations in spelling, such as "Gajey" and "Gajee."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaje can be found in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The text mentions a character named Gajendra, which translates to "Lord of Elephants." This character plays a significant role in the story and is revered for his devotion to the god Vishnu.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gaje. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Gaje Butelio, a 9th-century Buddhist monk and scholar from the Swat Valley region of modern-day Pakistan. He is known for his contributions to the preservation and translation of ancient Buddhist texts.
Another prominent figure with the name Gaje was Gaje Singh, a 17th-century Rajput warrior from the state of Mewar in India. He was renowned for his bravery and military prowess and played a significant role in defending his kingdom against invading forces.
In the 19th century, Gaje Tonsing was a Nepali-Tibetan explorer and trader who is credited with being one of the first people to document the existence of the Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman. His accounts of encountering large, hairy creatures in the Himalayas sparked widespread interest in the legend of the Yeti.
Another notable individual with the name Gaje was Gaje Singh Rathore, a 20th-century Indian politician and freedom fighter. He was actively involved in the Indian independence movement and later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly, which drafted the Constitution of India.
More recently, Gaje Govindraj was an Indian writer and journalist who lived from 1919 to 2008. He was known for his contributions to Kannada literature and his efforts in promoting the Kannada language and culture.
People
Gaje + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gaje 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
Gaje: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gaje?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 135 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gaje 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 1 in 2,538,921 US residents.
Is Gaje a common name?
We classify Gaje as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 137 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gaje most popular?
The single biggest year for Gaje was 2006, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gaje is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gaje a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gaje 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.
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.