Gage
/ˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/
Gage comes from an English surname of Old French origin meaning either “pledge” (from Old French gage, a security or token given as a promise) or “measure” (from the occupational sense of one who measures or assesses). The Old French root entered English after the Norman Conquest and settled into both vocabulary and surname use.
As a first name, Gage began appearing in American records in the 1980s and climbed steadily through the 1990s and 2000s, part of the broader shift toward English occupational and topographic surnames as given names. It peaked around 2006 and has been gradually declining since, though it remains a solid presence in American naming.
Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary (1983) features a young boy named Gage Creed as a central character, and the 1989 film adaptation brought the name widespread recognition. Despite the story's dark turn, parents clearly separated the fictional character from the name itself, and Gage climbed the charts through the 1990s.
What the name Gage means
Gage has one syllable: GAYJ. Short, punchy, and immediately masculine - it belongs to the family of brief, hard-consonant boy names like Cole, Drake, and Kane that have been popular since the 1990s. The spelling is also clean and unambiguous.
Gage ranked No. 830 in the United States in 2024 with approximately 364 births. It has been a consistent middle-range name for nearly three decades without ever threatening the top 50.
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Gage - similar names
Not seeing what you want? Browse all names by origin or popularity