French [ʒil] and explains the alternative spelling Guilbert with Guil- [gil].
">
Gilbert (given name)
Gilbert is a given name of Norman-French origin,[1] itself from Germanic Gisilberht or Gisalberht.[2][3] Original spellings included Gislebert, Guilbert and Gilebert. The first element, Gil-, comes from Germanic gīsil, meaning "shaft of an arrow" or gisal "pledge, hostage", while the second element, -bert comes from Germanic -behrt, short form of beraht, meaning "bright" or "famous".[4][5]
The name spread in France and was introduced to England by the Normans, where it was popular during the Middle Ages. That is the reason the pronunciation Gil-[gil] reflects the Northern Norman one [gil], as opposed to Old French [dʒil] > French [ʒil] and explains the alternative spelling Guilbert with Guil-[gil].
Variant spellings have evolved throughout Europe, including the Iberian/Italian version Gilberto and, as was the custom across Europe, given a Latin language version Gilbertus, to be used alongside a person's native variant. The diminutive, GilGillie and Bert eventually became popular as a standalone given name or nickname. Gilberte is the feminized version of the name. Gilbert, with variant spellings, is also used as a surname (see Gilbert (surname)).
Gilbert Bundy (1911–1955), American cartoonist and illustrator
Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter, administrative officer in the Royal Navy and a colonial official for the British Empire, administrator for Gambia, governor for the Lagos Colony, governor for The Bahamas and Barbados and governor for Trinidad and Tobago
Gilbert Cates (1934–2011), American film director and television producer
Gilbert Dragon,(1969-2021) Haitian police chief and guerrilla leader
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834), French general and politician who fought in the American Revolution and was involved in the French Revolution
Gilbert Mamery (1927–2003), Puerto Rican disc-jockey, musicologist, radio station owner, radio and television personality, marketing impresario, and composer
Gilbert Marouani (1933–2016), Tunisian-born music producer and agent
^Popular Baby Names, 1904-1994 (UK Office of National Statistics)
Name list
This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.