Gethsemane
A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "olive press".
Name Census estimates that about 83 living Americans carry the first name Gethsemane. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gethsemane today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gethsemane births was 2018 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gethsemane. 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 Gethsemane. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
83
~ 1 in 4,129,570 Americans
Peak year
2018
12 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,531
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Gethsemane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gethsemane from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 35 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Gethsemane remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gethsemane 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 Gethsemane 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 Gethsemane
The name Gethsemane has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the word "gat shemanim", which translates to "olive press". It is a biblical name that holds significant religious and historical importance, particularly in Christianity.
Gethsemane was an olive grove located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where Jesus Christ is said to have prayed and endured agony the night before his crucifixion, according to the New Testament. This event is known as the "Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane" and is a pivotal moment in the Christian faith.
The name Gethsemane first appeared in the Bible, specifically in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which recount the events that took place in the garden. It is mentioned as the place where Jesus went to pray with his disciples before his arrest and subsequent crucifixion.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Gethsemane was Gethsemane Pitt (1665-1720), an English Quaker writer and preacher. She was known for her religious works and her advocacy for women's rights within the Quaker community.
Another notable figure named Gethsemane was Gethsemane Howard (1792-1852), an American Quaker minister and abolitionist. She actively campaigned against slavery and was a prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement.
In the 19th century, Gethsemane Trott (1810-1890) was a British missionary and educator who worked in India. She dedicated her life to establishing schools and promoting education for women and girls in the country.
Gethsemane Purcell (1845-1921) was an American composer and music educator. She composed numerous works for choir and piano and was a pioneer in the field of music education for women.
Gethsemane Calverley (1854-1937) was a British artist and illustrator known for her detailed botanical illustrations and watercolor paintings of plants and flowers.
While the name Gethsemane holds deep religious and historical significance, it has been relatively uncommon as a given name throughout history, possibly due to its strong biblical connection and unique spelling.
People
Gethsemane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gethsemane 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
Gethsemane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gethsemane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 83 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gethsemane 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 4,129,570 US residents.
Is Gethsemane a common name?
We classify Gethsemane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 84 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gethsemane most popular?
The single biggest year for Gethsemane was 2018, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gethsemane is about 13 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 Gethsemane in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gethsemane a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gethsemane in the SSA data are female. 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 Gethsemane still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gethsemane 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 Gethsemane 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 share the name Gethsemane?
You can see how many people have the name Gethsemane on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.