Ginger

Spellings & scripts●(measured from records)

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records, and ○ marks a model's transliteration; click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested across 7 languages in the etymology graph.

Often considered alongside

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Ginger, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Cinnamon
• Pepper
• Saffron
• Cherry
• Honey
• Maple
• Anise
• Clover
• Lavender
• Basil
• Poppy
• Virginia

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Ginger is also recorded as 3 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Ecuador, France, Argentina

  Languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese

  Also written Gíngér

• Polish given name8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia

  Languages: Polish, Russian, Czech

  Also written Гінгер

• Korean given name3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, South Korea, North Korea, United Kingdom

  Also written 진저, Jinjeo

50 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Ginger is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In German, from Middle English gingivere, gyngure, gingere ‘ginger’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a dealer in spices, or possibly a nickname for someone with reddish hair or a fiery temperament.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• ,2 Originally a nickname for someone with red hair, occasionally used as a given name in the 2oth century. As a girl’s name it sometimes also represents a pet form of ) Virginia, as in the case of the 7 I0o0 film star Ginger Rogers, born in 1911 as Virginia McMath.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In French, Du mot anglais « ginger »; usage moderne, étymologie nominale.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In French, Diminutif anglais de Virginia; origine latine, « vierge ».

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Ginger Rogersb. 1911USAmerican actress and dancer (1911–1995)
• Ginger Stanleyb. 1931USAmerican model, actress and stunt woman
• Ginger Bakerb. 1939GBBritish drummer (1939–2019)
• Ginger Lynnb. 1962USAmerican pornographic actress
• Ginger Fishb. 1965USAmerican drummer
• Ginger Helgeson-Nielsenb. 1968USAmerican tennis player
• Ginger Pooleyb. 1977USAmerican rock musician (born 1977)
• Ginger Zeeb. 1981USAmerican meteorologist and television personality
• Ginger Gonzagab. 1984USAmerican comedian and actress
• Ginger Banksb. 1990USAmerican pornographic actress

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

How to address them○(machine-generated)

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

Is Ginger a male or female name?

Ginger is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What are other forms of the name Ginger?

In the etymology graph, Gina, Virginie and Gena are forms of the same name in other languages.

What does the name Ginger mean, and where does it come from?

from ME gingivere, gyngure, gingere ‘ginger’; for a dealer in ginger, or possibly a hot-tempered or reddish-haired man; first attested Roger Gingiure 1221 AssGl Recorded by A Dictionary of English Surnames.

How do you pronounce Ginger?

A machine transcription gives /dʒɪndʒə/ (IPA) for English.

In which country does Ginger have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 38 thousand people named Ginger, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled ginger.

Where is Ginger most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Ginger is densest in Ecuador — about 1 in 1.6 thousand people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

How common is the name Ginger?

In the United States, the national register counted 37,956 people named Ginger in 2020, about 1 in 8.8 thousand residents.

How common is Ginger compared with other names?

In the United States, Ginger is the 758th most common given name of 2,815,431 given names recorded there.