Fun Facts About the Name Gable
- 810 babies named Gable: U.S. records list 810 babies given the name Gable from 1880 through 2025. Even 6 girls received the name Gable - about 1 girl for every 134 boys.
What Does the Name Gable Mean?
Gable is an English family name meaning "gable," the triangular section of an outer wall that fills the space between the two sloping sides of a roof. The word goes back to Middle English gable, which was borrowed from Old French gable; the French form in turn comes from Old Norse gafl, meaning the gable or end of a building. Closely related words in other Germanic languages include German Giebel and Dutch gevel, both of which mean "gable."
As a surname it is mainly topographic: it was most likely applied to someone who lived by a house with a noticeable gable, or at a spot known for one, following the common English practice of forming surnames from buildings and landscape features. A separate set of families of German-speaking origin spell the name Gable as an Americanized form of Gabel ("fork") or Göbel; those surnames have their own separate histories and are not related to the English word for a gable.
Gable Name History & Origins
Ordinary words for parts of buildings were a frequent source of English surnames, and hereditary surnames of this kind became common in England from roughly the 13th and 14th centuries onward. The Middle English noun gable was available for that purpose, and the surname Gable is found in English records, as well as among families in Scotland, Ireland, and later the United States. In America the name also appears among families of German descent, where it usually stands for an anglicized Gabel or Göbel rather than for the English house part.
Use of Gable as a first name is a later and much less common development. It follows the broad American habit of turning surnames into given names, and it appears occasionally for boys in the United States; it is not a traditional baptismal name in England or in any European language. The surname itself is widely recognized in the United States through the actor Clark Gable (1901 - 1960), and that familiarity is part of why the word reads easily as a first name, though the given name has stayed rare.
How Popular is the Name Gable?
Gable has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2009. Its best rank was #1,541 in 1909.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #15,124 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,277 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #5,502 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #7,427 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #5,507 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2021 | #5,622 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #11,048 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #6,914 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #6,467 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #6,821 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #6,855 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #5,131 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #8,361 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2013 | #6,018 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #4,753 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #9,979 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #4,408 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #4,332 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2008 | #5,578 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #6,778 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #7,608 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #5,982 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #4,472 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #5,654 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #6,225 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2001 | #6,614 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #4,106 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1999 | #4,609 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #3,899 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #4,523 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #4,696 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #5,636 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #7,223 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #4,314 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #4,661 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #7,584 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #4,493 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #6,451 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #5,992 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #7,339 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #6,899 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #4,693 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #5,116 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #3,940 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #6,390 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #3,685 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #4,140 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1975 | #5,760 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #4,845 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #4,231 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #5,178 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #4,421 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #4,169 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1966 | #3,339 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #3,068 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #4,259 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1961 | #3,464 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #4,238 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1959 | #3,113 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #3,372 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #4,184 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1954 | #3,576 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #3,555 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1952 | #2,582 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1950 | #3,872 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1949 | #3,113 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1945 | #2,842 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1944 | #3,242 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #3,760 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1939 | #3,247 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,731 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #2,791 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1933 | #3,421 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1932 | #3,965 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #4,197 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1928 | #4,368 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1926 | #3,878 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #3,242 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1922 | #3,647 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #3,315 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1920 | #3,995 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1919 | #3,540 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1918 | #4,410 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #2,438 | 11 | 0.0012% |
| 1909 | #1,541 | 5 | 0.0030% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Gable Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are introspective, prophetic, philosophical, and soul searching, but also can be analytical, critical and opinionated. You think deeply and clearly, have an air of mystery, can be solitary and secretive. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Gable's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Gable's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.