"pledge, security deposit"
Gage
Pronunciation: [ g-AYJ ]
A one-syllable surname name with frontier edge
Meaning & Origin
"measure, measurement tool"
Things to Know About This Name
- Associated with Gage from Stephen King's Pet Sematary (1983) - a child who dies and returns as a murderous creature
The Story of Gage
Gage comes from Old French gage meaning pledge or security deposit, related to the concept of giving something as a guarantee (as in wage and engage, which share the root). As an English surname, it was used for someone who collected pledges or measured goods. The name Phineas Gage became historically notable in 1848 when a railway worker survived a remarkable brain injury that altered his personality.
Gage peaked in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s, part of the wave of short, punchy one-syllable names popular at that time. It appeared in the top 200 U.S. names from 1995-2010 but has been declining since.
Phineas P. Gage (1823-1860) became one of the most famous cases in neuroscience history after surviving a severe brain injury that dramatically changed his personality. His case transformed understanding of the brain and frontal lobe function.
Fun Facts
- Phineas Gage (1823-1860) survived having a 13-pound iron rod blown through his skull, becoming one of the most studied cases in neuroscience history
- The words wage, engage, and mortgage all share the same Old French root as Gage
Gage in Other Languages
Famous People Named Gage
Phineas P. Gage
Other
1823
American railroad worker whose survival of a severe brain injury became a landmark case in neuroscience
Gage Creed Fictional
Other
Young child character in Stephen King novel Pet Sematary (1983)
Quick Facts
- Gender
- Boy
- Syllables
- 1
- Popularity Rank
- #834
- Total SSA Count
- 297
- Cultural Origins
- American English French
- Pronunciation
- Easy
- Formality
- Casual
- Cross-Cultural Ease
- Moderate
Pairs Well With
Sibling Names
Also a Girl Name
Gage is also used as a girl name, ranked #55419.
View Gage as a girl name →Similar Names
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Frequently Asked Questions About Gage
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About the Name Gage
Gage is a boy name with American, English, and French origins . The name means "pledge, security deposit" in Old French gage .
Is Gage a boy or girl name? Gage is used as both a boy and girl name. As a boy name, it ranks #834 in popularity. As a girl name, it ranks #55,419. Gage is more commonly used as a boy name.
Gage is currently ranked #834 in popularity for boy names in the United States.
The name Gage has 1 syllable and is pronounced g-AYJ, making it easy to pronounce and remember.