Gared
Of Welsh origin, a masculine name meaning "watchful, vigilant".
Name Census estimates that about 220 living Americans carry the first name Gared. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gared today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gared births was 1989 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gared. 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
220
~ 1 in 1,557,974 Americans
Peak year
1989
14 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,973
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Gared: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gared from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 83 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gared 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 Gared during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gareds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gared
The name Gared has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the early medieval period in Britain. It is derived from the Old English word "gār" meaning "spear" or "javelin," suggesting a connection to warfare and valor. The name was initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone skilled in spear-throwing or perhaps a maker of spears.
In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, one of the earliest historical records from this period, there are mentions of individuals bearing names similar to Gared, such as Gāring and Gāred. These entries suggest that the name was already in use among the Germanic tribes that settled in Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Gared was a minor nobleman from Wessex, who lived in the late 9th century. Historical records from this time are scarce, but his name appears in a land grant document dated around 880 CE.
In the 11th century, a man named Gared the Brave was documented as a loyal warrior in the service of King Edward the Confessor. According to chronicles, Gared played a pivotal role in defending the king's royal court during a skirmish with rebellious nobles in 1051.
During the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, a Norman knight named Gared de Montfort fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. His bravery in battle was celebrated, and he was later granted lands in the English Midlands.
In the 13th century, a renowned Welsh poet and bard named Gared Ddu (Gared the Black) gained fame for his intricate and lyrical compositions. His work is considered a significant contribution to the literary tradition of medieval Wales, and some of his poems have been preserved in ancient manuscripts.
Another notable figure was Gared Fitzherbert, an English judge and legal scholar who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He authored several influential treatises on English common law, which became foundational texts for legal education in the Renaissance era.
While the name Gared has become less common in modern times, it carries a rich historical legacy, evoking images of bravery, warfare, and cultural achievements from the medieval period in Britain and beyond.
People
Gared + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gared 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
Gared: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gared?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 220 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gared 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 1,557,974 US residents.
Is Gared a common name?
We classify Gared as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 227 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gared most popular?
The single biggest year for Gared was 1989, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gared is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gared a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gared 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.