Gerald
Boy nameGerald has been given to 451,351 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1942.
Meaning & origin /ˈd͡ʒɛɹəld/
API From Old French, ultimately from Frankish *gaiʀ (“spear”) + *wald (“might, power”). The name was brought to England by the Normans. It survived in Ireland, and was revived in the 19th century.
Origin: Germanic languages
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
451,351
Peak year
1942 (11,521 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -46%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Gerald
Gerald Ford
President of the United States from 1974 to 1977 (1913–2006)
Gerald Edelman
American biologist (1929–2014)
Gerald Vanenburg
Dutch association football player
Gerald Durrell
British naturalist and writer (1925–1995)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Gerald.
Get new name insights first
Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.
By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.