Gilbert is a Norman name from the Germanic Gisilbert, built from gisil, pledge, and beraht, bright, so it means "bright pledge" or "shining hostage". It was a common name in medieval England and lives on in fiction as Gilbert Blythe, the sweetheart of Anne of Green Gables. Gilbert stood at number 527 in 2000, left the top 1000 in 2017 and ranks number 1330 in 2025.