A stranger there, from Hebrew ger (sojourner) and sham (there). In the book of Exodus, Moses in his desert exile names his firstborn Gershom, saying he has been a stranger in a foreign land, so the name turns displacement into identity. It was later borne by a great medieval rabbi of Ashkenaz.
Gershom is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, traditionally used in Jewish families.
The name means "A stranger there, from Hebrew ger (sojourner) and sham (there). In the book of Exodus, Moses in his desert exile names his firstborn Gershom, saying he has been a stranger in a foreign land, so the name turns displacement into identity. It was later borne by a great medieval rabbi of Ashkenaz." and belongs to the Wisdom cluster — names meaning knowledge, insight, and thoughtful presence.
Common among European, American, MiddleEastern, Israeli families, Gershom carries cultural weight that goes beyond its dictionary definition — it's a name with a story and a community.
Numerology of Gershom
Numerology assigns each name a single-digit destiny number by summing its letter values. Different schools use different mappings — NameRoot computes both so you can see how Gershom resonates in either tradition.
Pythagorean
4
stability and disciplined work
Chaldean
11
intuition and inspired leadership (master number)
How Gershom sounds
NameRoot scores the phonetic fit of every name against the sound of your last name. The pronunciation of Gershom breaks down into 6 phonemes: /G-ER-R-SH-AH-M/. In the app, you'll see how those sounds flow with your family name across rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters.
Nicknames
Common affectionate forms of Gershom — useful for everyday family conversation, early childhood, or as standalone given names themselves.
GeriGers
The six signals, applied to Gershom
NameRoot scores every name across six independent dimensions. Here's how Gershom maps to each — install the app to see the full compatibility score for your specific family.
01 — Birth Star
Nakshatra match
Enter your baby's birth date in the app and we'll compute the nakshatra compatibility score.
02 — Numerology
Destiny alignment
Pythagorean and Chaldean life-path calculations (destiny 4) matched against your family's own numerology profile.
03 — Phonetics
Last-name fit
Rhythm, stress, and consonant clusters measured with IPA to see how Gershom flows with your family name.
04 — Meaning
Wisdom
Gershom belongs to the Wisdom cluster — names meaning knowledge, insight, and thoughtful presence.
05 — Cultural & Tradition
Jewish
As a Jewish name, Gershom carries religious and cultural weight scored against your family's heritage — plus grandparent-name matches, saint's-day alignment, and generational naming patterns scored against your family tree.
06 — Uniqueness
Popularity balance
How common Gershom is today versus historically — finding the sweet spot between familiar and forgotten.
Names similar to Gershom
If Gershom resonates with you, these names live in the same world — drawn from the same tradition, sharing the same meaning, or echoing a similar sound.
From the same tradition
Other Jewish boy names, common in European families
Gershom means "A stranger there, from Hebrew ger (sojourner) and sham (there). In the book of Exodus, Moses in his desert exile names his firstborn Gershom, saying he has been a stranger in a foreign land, so the name turns displacement into identity. It was later borne by a great medieval rabbi of Ashkenaz.." It is a boy name of Hebrew origin, traditionally used in Jewish families.
Is Gershom a boy or girl name?
Gershom is most commonly used as a boy name.
What is the origin of the name Gershom?
Gershom is of Hebrew origin, used in Jewish tradition, commonly among European, American, MiddleEastern families.
What are common nicknames for Gershom?
Common short forms of Gershom include Geri, Gers.
What is the numerology of Gershom?
Gershom has a Pythagorean destiny number of 4 — stability and disciplined work.
See how Gershom scores for your family
NameRoot is the only baby-name app that scores every name across 6 signals against your specific family context. Download free — Gershom is waiting.