Gulliver
One who admires or studies gulls, a type of seabird.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Gulliver. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gulliver today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gulliver births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gulliver. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Gulliver with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gulliver. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,778
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Gulliver: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gulliver 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 Gulliver during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Gulliver
The given name Gulliver originated from the satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels" published in 1726 by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan Swift. The name itself is not derived from any particular language or culture, but rather was invented by Swift as the name of the protagonist, Lemuel Gulliver, in his famous work.
The character of Gulliver is a fictional Englishman who travels to various fantastical lands inhabited by strange and fanciful beings. The novel is a biting satire that critiques human nature, society, and the political and social climate of Swift's time. Through Gulliver's adventures, Swift exposes the follies and vices of mankind, making the book a classic of English literature.
While the name Gulliver was not recorded prior to Swift's novel, it quickly gained popularity and recognition due to the immense success of "Gulliver's Travels." Some notable individuals who have borne the name Gulliver include:
1. Gulliver McGrath (born 1945), an American actor and playwright.
2. Gulliver Drayton (1609-1668), an English Puritan minister and early settler of New Haven Colony.
3. Gulliver Curry (born 1993), an Australian professional basketball player.
4. Gulliver Rop (born 1986), a Kenyan long-distance runner and Olympic medalist.
5. Gulliver Belshaw (born 1989), an English singer-songwriter and musician.
The name Gulliver, though fictional in origin, has become a part of the cultural lexicon, often evoking associations with travel, adventure, and the exploration of new worlds. Its connection to Swift's timeless satire has ensured its enduring place in the annals of literary history and its continued use as a given name.
People
Gulliver + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gulliver 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
Gulliver: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gulliver?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gulliver 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Gulliver a common name?
We classify Gulliver as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gulliver most popular?
The single biggest year for Gulliver was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gulliver is about 5 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 Gulliver in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gulliver a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gulliver 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 Gulliver still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gulliver 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 Gulliver 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 Gulliver?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.