Name of the Day: Gemma

Let’s say you love Ruby but he prefers Jade. Why not go with the ultimate jewel of a girl’s name?

Thanks to Nessa for suggesting our Name of the Day: Gemma.

She’s sparkly, but she’s also a saint. She’s crisply British and alluringly Italian. For a short name, Gemma is surprisingly versatile. And while she’s heard with some frequency in Australia and the UK, the name has never charted in the US Top 1000.

That could change, of course. Jade’s been in the Top 100 in recent years. Ruby is leaping up the charts, and Diamond is gaining, too. While Pearl, Sapphire and Emerald fail to rank, our guess is that Gemma is likely to do well in the next few years.

In Latin, gemma refers to a precious stone. The word is unchanged in Italian, and may have been used as an endearment before it was a given name.

The earliest bearers of the name were Italian. The thirteenth century poet Dante Aligheri married a Gemma, though he wrote his poems to Beatrice.

Saint Gemma came along more than five centuries later, in the late 1800s. She’s known for her service to the poor and, controversially, for experiencing the stigmata – bleeding from her hands and feet, in memory of Christ’s crucifixion.

Stargazers might know that Gemma is also a traditional name for the brightest star in the constellation Corona Borealis. We can’t find the first reference to the star – today it’s more properly referred to as Alpha Coronae Borealis – but the constellation’s name means “northern crown” and was said to represent a crown Dionysus gave to Ariadne.

Speaking of stars, there’s a cluster of young models, dancers and actresses with the name, including Gemma Arterton (seen as Bond Girl Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace), model Gemma Ward and ballerina Gemma Bond of the American Ballet Theater. A bit on the more seasoned side, Gemma Jones is a British actress who played Bridget Jones’ mum and Hogwarts nurse Poppy Pomfrey in the Harry Potter franchise.

There’s also Jemma Redgrave, of the acting dynasty. While the spelling is seen, it strikes us as less elegant than the original.

For parents looking for a name that’s unusual but not too strange, Gemma could be the perfect fit. She’s at home with plenty of current trends:

Like Emma, Hannah, Ava and Mia, she’s short and ends in a;
The “J” sound remains quite popular;
Gemma fits with feminine favorites Isabella, Sophia, Francesca and Gabriella;
While it’s more subtle than Willow or Sky, this one certainly qualifies as a nature name.

If you want your daughter’s name to stand out while fitting in, Gemma is one to consider.

17 thoughts on “Name of the Day: Gemma”

Gemma is one of my very favorites. I knew a girl named Gemma once and she was SO cool… I really can’t imagine someone named Gemma not being awesome. It’s had so many interesting bearers! I like that it sounds really new and fresh, but has such a long history as an actual name. She’s sweet like Emma, but the G makes her so hip and fun. Few names pack such a punch, and in so few letters! I normally don’t like jewel names, either (except Pearl, I LOVE Pearl, and Opal… pretty much hate all the others, though), so it’s a little strange that I adore Gemma so much. But oh, I just LOVE her!

Reply ↓

I have a fondness for Gemma but would probably use Jemma, as a nickname for Jemima. My Pop was a Jeweler, specialising in watches and diamonds, in particular. So Gemma rather reminds me of him. Oooooh, Gemma Valentine __ maybe? Gemma beats the mispronounced Gianna in my book. Very nice, Gemma! I find her refreshingly lovely. But my heart loves Jemma for Jemima far more.

Reply ↓

Yes! I’m so happy to see Gemma featured here. She’s one of my absolute favorites. I love the British-ness of it (my family is very British so I have a fondness for British names in general, especially Gemma and similar Phillipa and Jemima). It’s so fresh and always excites me. I really love her!

Reply ↓

I like Gemma. We might use it as a nickname for our Imogen (yes, it’s a little stretch, but that’s OK with us)… I don’t love it. Maybe because I have a jewel name and I don’t want it to even appear to her that I’ve named my girl for me – we certainly did not! But it’s a cute nickname. As a full name, I’m not as sure… I don’t take it seriously… so maybe if the child ends up in the arts, that’s fine, but in the business world, Gemma doesn’t work for me. I worked with a Gemma in the UK – she was a lovely girl, but looked like a barbie doll and kind of acted a little on the girlie-girl side. So the name has that bubblegum pink association with it for me. Love it as a nickname, not as sure as the full first name for me… I do like the Italian association too! I hadn’t thought about that – I encountered the name in the UK, so just associated it with England previously.

Reply ↓

I do quite like Gemma – though I can’t see her on someone older than 40. Anyway – she has a beautiful bouyant / sunny feel to her which draws me in! She’s rather common down here in Australia – I know one who’s 16, two who are my eldest’s age (around 4), and one – a Jemma – who’s in my mother’s group for the twins (born in June).

Reply ↓

Lola, I wondered if you’d consider Jemma as a nickname for Jemima! In that case, I think the J is just fine.

It’s interesting to read the reaction that Gemma might not age well. I hadn’t considered it, but that’s a fair point. Then again, the nursing homes will be filled with Jennys a generation earlier, so maybe it won’t sound so strange after all.

I can see Gemma as a nickname for Imogen, mostly because in the US, both names are so rare that few of us would catch on that it’s a stretch. In a place where both names are more popular, it might present a challenge. Or not. My sense is that people generally call your children whatever *you* call your children. It’s not like toddlers are regularly asked for ID.

Reply ↓

Oh, and Gemma Valentine ___? Gorgeous!

Reply ↓

I like Gemma. I agree it fits with the current trends but sounds fresh because it’s rare in the US. I think it ages well… I don’t associate it with any particular age, probably because there are so few people here with the name. Lola, how do people pronounce Gianna? I know how it would be said in Italian but do people say “jee-ANN-a”?

Reply ↓

Yep, Shannon, three syllables. Makes me want to weep. I’ve heard Gianna in Italian and it’s lovely. In Yank it gets slaughtered.

Reply ↓

I’m pretty nonplussed about Gemma, I’ve never given the name any thought which is probably down to her fairly popular status in the UK as has been pointed out. Even if I put that aside, I’m still not a huge fan of her – as has been mentioned she sounds quite childlike and because of that I have a job to take her seriously as a given name.

Reply ↓

I’m writing this about nine months later because I’ve finally gotten my husband to agree to Gemma! I’ve been working on it forever and he finally realized (or admitted) that he loves it! It’s agreed upon as our future daughter, I’m so excited! Lol.

Reply ↓