The nameGaston

Meaning

Gaston is a French name whose meaning is debated. It is often linked to Gascon, "man from Gascony", and also seen as a form of Vaast, the name of a Germanic-born saint.

Origin

French. Saint Vaast (Vedastus), bishop of Arras in the 6th century, is traditionally linked to the name, and Gaston was used by the counts of Foix and Béarn in the south-west of France.

History

Gaston Fébus, count of Foix in the 14th century, was a famous hunter and poet. The name was very common in France in the early 20th century and has been coming back since the 2010s. English speakers know Gaston from the vain villain of Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991), from Gaston Leroux, author of The Phantom of the Opera, and from Gaston Lagaffe, the lazy office boy of Belgian comics. In the United States Gaston reached 534th place in 1903.

Famous people named Gaston

• Gaston Leroux, author of The Phantom of the Opera
• Gaston Bachelard, philosopher
• Gaston, villain of Beauty and the Beast

Popularity of the name Gaston

Gaston in the United States

Gaston was most popular in the United States in the 1920s, with 620 births over the decade, 15% of all recorded babies named Gaston. Half of all babies named Gaston in the United States were born before 1950, so it is mostly a grandparents' generation name. Over the last five years on record, its popularity has held steady at around 22 births a year.

Gaston in France

Gaston was most popular in France in the 1900s, with 25,715 births over the decade, 27% of all recorded babies named Gaston. Half of all babies named Gaston in France were born before 1920, although it is popular again today. Over the last five years on record, it has been rising: 305 births a year on average, against 230 in the five years before.

Gaston in Belgium