Gregory comes from the Greek Gregorios and means "watchful" or "alert". Sixteen popes have borne the name, among them Gregory the Great, and in America it belongs to the actor Gregory Peck. Gregory was a top 100 staple from the 1940s to the 1980s; it still ranked number 138 in 2000, has lost ground every year since and stands at number 593 in 2025.