Gerald
Gerald was given to 168 boys in 2025, #1,206 among boys’ names; 451,351 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 211,000 Americans named Gerald and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (47% of everyone recorded); the median is 67 years old and half are between 55 and 77.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Gerald by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Gerald mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Gerald is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the senses “spear” (*gaiʀ) and “might, power” (*wald).
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.
/ˈd͡ʒɛɹəld/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Gerald?
#1,206 among boys’ names, 2025
Gerald fell from #765 in 2015 to #1,206 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 0.16 to 0.10 per 1,000.
11,521 babies in 1942, the peak
Gerald peaked in 1942, when 11,521 babies were given it (11,484 boys, #22 among boys’ names). The 168 births of 2025 are 1% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 168 | #1,206 | 0.10 |
| 2024 | 178 | #1,171 | 0.10 |
| 2023 | 213 | #1,029 | 0.12 |
| 2022 | 206 | #1,066 | 0.12 |
| 2021 | 217 | #1,012 | 0.12 |
| 2020 | 230 | #955 | 0.13 |
| 2019 | 245 | #892 | 0.14 |
| 2018 | 242 | #895 | 0.13 |
| 2017 | 271 | #825 | 0.15 |
| 2016 | 284 | #810 | 0.15 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 312 | #765 | 0.16 |
| 2014 | 281 | #810 | 0.15 |
| 2013 | 329 | #715 | 0.17 |
| 2012 | 346 | #684 | 0.18 |
| 2011 | 373 | #628 | 0.20 |
| 2010 | 348 | #679 | 0.18 |
| 2009 | 396 | #630 | 0.20 |
| 2008 | 415 | #604 | 0.20 |
| 2007 | 472 | #544 | 0.23 |
| 2006 | 465 | #545 | 0.23 |
| 2005 | 472 | #520 | 0.24 |
| 2004 | 552 | #463 | 0.28 |
| 2003 | 529 | #474 | 0.27 |
| 2002 | 556 | #444 | 0.29 |
| 2001 | 609 | #411 | 0.31 |
| 2000 | 680 | #382 | 0.35 |
| 1999 | 686 | #379 | 0.36 |
| 1998 | 671 | #376 | 0.35 |
| 1997 | 773 | #336 | 0.41 |
| 1996 | 822 | #322 | 0.43 |
| 1995 | 889 | #299 | 0.47 |
| 1994 | 954 | #284 | 0.49 |
| 1993 | 1,116 | #256 | 0.57 |
| 1992 | 1,174 | #245 | 0.59 |
| 1991 | 1,261 | #235 | 0.62 |
| 1990 | 1,451 | #212 | 0.71 |
| 1989 | 1,469 | #201 | 0.73 |
| 1988 | 1,403 | #194 | 0.73 |
| 1987 | 1,441 | #190 | 0.77 |
| 1986 | 1,455 | #183 | 0.79 |
| 1985 | 1,446 | #181 | 0.78 |
| 1984 | 1,444 | #176 | 0.80 |
| 1983 | 1,549 | #168 | 0.86 |
| 1982 | 1,717 | #158 | 0.95 |
| 1981 | 1,764 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1980 | 1,819 | #148 | 1.0 |
| 1979 | 1,863 | #143 | 1.1 |
| 1978 | 1,889 | #137 | 1.2 |
| 1977 | 2,046 | #131 | 1.2 |
| 1976 | 2,139 | #120 | 1.4 |
| 1975 | 2,398 | #108 | 1.5 |
| 1974 | 2,417 | #108 | 1.5 |
| 1973 | 2,592 | #102 | 1.7 |
| 1972 | 2,816 | #102 | 1.7 |
| 1971 | 3,588 | #83 | 2.0 |
| 1970 | 4,399 | #67 | 2.4 |
| 1969 | 4,384 | #65 | 2.5 |
| 1968 | 4,475 | #62 | 2.6 |
| 1967 | 4,873 | #59 | 2.8 |
| 1966 | 4,863 | #60 | 2.7 |
| 1965 | 5,252 | #64 | 2.8 |
| 1964 | 5,869 | #60 | 2.9 |
| 1963 | 6,156 | #60 | 3.0 |
| 1962 | 6,232 | #65 | 3.0 |
| 1961 | 6,630 | #62 | 3.1 |
| 1960 | 6,571 | #62 | 3.1 |
| 1959 | 6,636 | #61 | 3.1 |
| 1958 | 6,865 | #58 | 3.2 |
| 1957 | 7,595 | #51 | 3.5 |
| 1956 | 7,991 | #49 | 3.8 |
| 1955 | 8,072 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1954 | 8,552 | #44 | 4.2 |
| 1953 | 8,619 | #42 | 4.4 |
| 1952 | 9,031 | #39 | 4.6 |
| 1951 | 9,539 | #36 | 5.1 |
| 1950 | 9,726 | #34 | 5.4 |
| 1949 | 9,808 | #33 | 5.5 |
| 1948 | 9,842 | #30 | 5.6 |
| 1947 | 10,750 | #28 | 5.9 |
| 1946 | 10,033 | #27 | 6.2 |
| 1945 | 8,857 | #25 | 6.6 |
| 1944 | 10,023 | #24 | 7.4 |
| 1943 | 11,367 | #23 | 8.0 |
| 1942 | 11,484 | #22 | 8.3 |
| 1941 | 10,942 | #20 | 8.9 |
| 1940 | 10,236 | #21 | 8.8 |
| 1939 | 10,057 | #19 | 9.1 |
| 1938 | 9,972 | #19 | 9.0 |
| 1937 | 9,425 | #20 | 8.8 |
| 1936 | 9,018 | #19 | 8.7 |
| 1935 | 8,458 | #21 | 8.1 |
| 1934 | 7,816 | #22 | 7.6 |
| 1933 | 7,422 | #22 | 7.5 |
| 1932 | 7,347 | #24 | 7.0 |
| 1931 | 6,823 | #26 | 6.6 |
| 1930 | 6,483 | #30 | 5.9 |
| 1929 | 5,965 | #33 | 5.5 |
| 1928 | 5,487 | #41 | 5.0 |
| 1927 | 5,511 | #38 | 4.9 |
| 1926 | 5,123 | #41 | 4.6 |
| 1925 | 4,507 | #45 | 4.0 |
| 1924 | 4,151 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1923 | 3,696 | #54 | 3.4 |
| 1922 | 3,541 | #58 | 3.3 |
| 1921 | 3,382 | #60 | 3.1 |
| 1920 | 3,157 | #64 | 3.0 |
| 1919 | 2,689 | #70 | 2.7 |
| 1918 | 2,712 | #72 | 2.7 |
| 1917 | 2,486 | #69 | 2.7 |
| 1916 | 2,260 | #76 | 2.5 |
| 1915 | 2,085 | #78 | 2.5 |
| 1914 | 1,468 | #81 | 2.2 |
| 1913 | 1,142 | #84 | 2.2 |
| 1912 | 929 | #87 | 2.2 |
| 1911 | 462 | #88 | 2.0 |
| 1910 | 289 | #105 | 1.5 |
| 1909 | 301 | #95 | 1.8 |
| 1908 | 270 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 1907 | 239 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 1906 | 191 | #112 | 1.4 |
| 1905 | 189 | #113 | 1.4 |
| 1904 | 201 | #106 | 1.6 |
| 1903 | 182 | #107 | 1.5 |
| 1902 | 151 | #127 | 1.2 |
| 1901 | 133 | #124 | 1.2 |
| 1900 | 157 | #140 | 1.0 |
| 1899 | 108 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1898 | 100 | #165 | 0.82 |
| 1897 | 93 | #166 | 0.82 |
| 1896 | 95 | #169 | 0.79 |
| 1895 | 76 | #193 | 0.65 |
| 1894 | 75 | #197 | 0.65 |
| 1893 | 55 | #230 | 0.49 |
| 1892 | 62 | #221 | 0.51 |
| 1891 | 45 | #239 | 0.44 |
| 1890 | 44 | #258 | 0.40 |
| 1889 | 48 | #234 | 0.43 |
| 1888 | 30 | #337 | 0.25 |
| 1887 | 22 | #352 | 0.22 |
| 1886 | 28 | #322 | 0.25 |
| 1885 | 23 | #368 | 0.21 |
| 1884 | 19 | #419 | 0.17 |
| 1883 | 13 | #503 | 0.12 |
| 1882 | 15 | #478 | 0.13 |
| 1881 | 14 | #470 | 0.14 |
| 1880 | 11 | #586 | 0.10 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Gerald a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Gerald has been given almost only to boys: 2,385 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Gerald: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Gerald, and how old are they?
211,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 47% of the 451,351 Americans ever recorded as Gerald. The median Gerald alive today is 67 years old; half are between 55 and 77.
The 2020 Census counted 258,431 people named Gerald (598 women and girls, 257,833 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 253,332 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% above that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 34,400 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 99,700 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 45,500 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 20,400 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 8,190 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 3,150 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Gerald born?
The states with the most babies named Gerald are New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania, with 24% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 39,070 | #895 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 35,394 | #735 | 1.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 32,472 | #758 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 28,080 | #1,360 | 1.1× |
| California | 25,432 | #1,168 | 0.8× |
| Ohio | 24,040 | #1,342 | 1.0× |
| Wisconsin | 19,385 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Texas | 17,100 | #1,514 | 0.6× |
| Minnesota | 15,997 | not ranked | 1.6× |
| Massachusetts | 12,499 | not ranked | 0.9× |
Where Gerald is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Gerald is most over-represented in Michigan: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Gerald with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 7 names spelled alike, given to 459,107 babies since 1880, Gerald is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 168 of their 168 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Gerald
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Gerald and names like it
- Compare Gerald and GearldBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1940sGerald peaked in 1942.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Gerald since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Gerald: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1942The year the most babies were named Gerald.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Gerald alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with GMost given first.