Gareth

Did you know?

A few things about Gareth you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Gareth

Gareth Bale

Welsh association football player

Choose Gareth and your child shares a first name with Gareth Bale, a Welsh association football player. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Gareth, like who?” Gareth Bale's Wikipedia article is available in 94 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Gareth Bale on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: حسین ظهروند, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 37,175 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Gareth, 46 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Gareth would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryGareth first shows up in US birth records in 1916, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 109 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 1970, when it reached #1,080.
• 🍂TrendGareth has slipped 107 places over the last five years and now sits at #2,765. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningIn Welsh, Gareth means “gentle”. Our records link it to English, Irish and Welsh roots.

About the name Gareth

Gareth is a boy name of English, Irish and Welsh origin meaning “gentle”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with G and ending in “-eth”. US birth records list Gareth for boys from 1916 to 2025, in 108 of those 110 years. Its best year was 1970, when it ranked #1,080 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #2,765, with 46 babies.

Origin:English namesIrish namesWelsh names