Gemma

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Jemima in BR Brazil, AR Argentina, MX Mexico and 7 more, Jema in IN India, TZ Tanzania, GE Georgia and Jama in EC Ecuador.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 6 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Gemma is also recorded as 2 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name376K records spelled Gemma9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Spain, Philippines, Mexico, United States

  Languages: Spanish, Catalan, Italian

  Also written Gëmmä, Gémmá, Gemmà, Gëmma

• Russian given name4.2K records spelled Gemma20 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Poland

  Languages: Russian, Polish, Ukrainian

  Also written Джемма, Гемма, Dzhemma, Джэмма, Гэмма

53 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Gemma is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, Italian for ‘gem’; used in Ireland for St Gemma Galgani (died 1903).

  as a name·Irish first names

• In English, vernacular pronunciation of James, used for men and women alike; first attested Alan Gemma 1198 P (Nth)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• From a medieval Italian nickname meaning ‘gem’, ‘jewel’. It has been chosen in modern times mainly because of its transparent etymology. Among Roman Catholics it is sometimes chosen in honour of St Gemma Galgani (1878-1903), who was the subject of many extraordinary signs of grace, such as ecstasies and the appearance of the stigmata. Variant: Jemma.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• from the popular medieval female personal name Gemma (from gemma ‘gem’, ‘precious stone’).

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• From a medieval Italian nickname meaning ‘jewel’. See main dictionary.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 121 years between 1904–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Gemma Frisiusb. 1508NLFrisian physician, mathematician and cartographer (1508–1555)
• Gemma Galganib. 1878ITItalian saint (1878-1903)
• Gemma Jonesb. 1942GBBritish actress
• Gemma Hayesb. 1977IEIrish singer-songwriter
• Gemma Whelanb. 1981GBEnglish actress (born 1981)
• Gemma Chanb. 1982GBBritish actress
• Gemma Atkinsonb. 1984GBBritish actress and model
• Gemma Artertonb. 1986GBBritish actress
• Gemma Wardb. 1987AUAustralian model and actress
• Gemma Spofforthb. 1987GBBritish swimmer, Olympic athlete, world champion, world record holder

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 935 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Gemma?

We estimate roughly 52 thousand people bear Gemma (counting its spellings and scripts) across 8 countries in our records.

In which country does Gemma have the most bearers?

Gemma is most frequently recorded in the United Kingdom, where it is most often spelled gemma.

How common is Gemma compared with other names?

In the United Kingdom, Gemma is the 169th most common given name of 369,273 given names recorded there.

Is Gemma a male or female name?

Gemma is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Gemma mean?

Recorded meaning: Latin gemma, 'gem, precious stone'; originally 'bud, shoot' from the notion of a budding plant.