Gayge
A masculine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Gage.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Gayge. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gayge today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gayge births was 1998 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gayge. 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 Gayge. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1998
6 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
1998 SSA rank
#8,851
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Gayge: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gayge 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 Gayge during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gayge
The name Gayge is a relatively modern variation of the traditional English name Gage, which has its roots in the Old French word "gage," meaning "pledge" or "security." This name gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly among English and French families.
The earliest known record of the name Gage dates back to the 12th century, when it was used as a surname. One of the first documented individuals with the name Gage was Sir John Gage, a prominent English soldier and courtier who lived during the reign of Henry VIII in the 16th century.
Throughout history, the name Gage has been associated with several notable figures. One famous bearer of this name was Thomas Gage, a British general who served as the last British governor of Massachusetts during the American Revolutionary War in the late 18th century.
Another prominent individual with the name Gage was Lyman J. Gage, an American financier and Secretary of the Treasury under President William McKinley in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the literary world, the name Gage is perhaps most famously associated with the character of Phineas Gage, a railroad construction foreman who survived a devastating brain injury caused by an iron rod piercing his skull in 1848. His case became a significant study in the field of neuroscience and contributed to our understanding of the human brain.
While the name Gage has a long and rich history, the variation Gayge is a more recent development. It is believed to have emerged as a creative spelling or pronunciation variation, possibly influenced by the increasing popularity of unique and unconventional names in recent decades.
Despite its modern spelling, the name Gayge still carries the essence of its historical roots, representing a pledge or security. It is a name that has transcended centuries, continents, and cultures, leaving an indelible mark on the tapestry of human history.
People
Gayge + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gayge 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
Gayge: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gayge?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gayge 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Gayge a common name?
We classify Gayge as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% 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 Gayge most popular?
The single biggest year for Gayge was 1998, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gayge is about 28 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 Gayge in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gayge a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gayge 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 Gayge still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gayge 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 Gayge 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 many people are called Gayge?
You can see how many people share the name Gayge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.