Girls' name · since 1880
Geraldine
Geraldine has 211,349 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1930 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #188 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,439 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 211,349
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
Yes -- Geraldine is the #2439 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 211,349 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Geraldine recorded 211,349 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2439 nationally today, ahead of 86% of girls, peaking in the 1930s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #188 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,439 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 211,349 born since 1880
- 1930s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Geraldine ranks #188 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,439 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 211,349 born since 1880, peaking in the 1930s.
- #188 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,439 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 211,349
- born since 1880
- 1930s
- peak decade
Geraldine's 211,349 recorded births place it above 99.74% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Geraldine compares
211,349 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Geraldine's all-time total is 562x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Geraldine | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 211,349 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 5,448 | 21 | 19,840 |
Geraldine's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Geraldine splits its recorded history at 1953: 16% of all births land in the more recent half, 84% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (7 births) -- compare that against the 1930 peak of 5,448 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Geraldine popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1930)
- 5,448
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Geraldine popularity over time - boys
748 total births recorded since 1913 (Geraldine as boys' name)
Geraldine by decade
1930s is the heaviest window (50,042 births, 24% of the file).
1930s was Geraldine's strongest decade.
50,042 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Geraldine births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 192
1880s
192 births
- 1890s 758
1890s
758 births
- 1900s 2,589
1900s
2,589 births
- 1910s 18,990
1910s
18,990 births
- 1920s
1920s
48,044 births
- 1930s
1930s
50,042 births
- 1940s
1940s
47,933 births
- 1950s
1950s
24,222 births
- 1960s 9,789
1960s
9,789 births
- 1970s 2,232
1970s
2,232 births
- 1980s 1,561
1980s
1,561 births
- 1990s 1,198
1990s
1,198 births
- 2000s 1,417
2000s
1,417 births
- 2010s 1,719
2010s
1,719 births
- 2020s 663
2020s
663 births
What this shows Peak: 1930s at 50,042 births (24% of all-time use).
How Geraldine compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Geraldine's total volume
Geraldine by state
Where Geraldine concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 21,596 | 10.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 18,087 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 13,379 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 10,780 | 5.1% |
| #5 | California | | 10,065 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 9,708 | 4.6% |
| #7 | Texas | | 7,073 | 3.3% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 6,691 | 3.2% |
21,596 of 211,349 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Geraldine appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Geraldine? ▼
Where does Geraldine sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Geraldine most popular? ▼
Where is Geraldine most popular? ▼
How long has the name Geraldine been used? ▼
What names are similar to Geraldine? ▼
What to do with Geraldine's data
- Geraldine's decade-level peak was the 1930s (50,042 total births); usage has since declined to 663 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Geraldines (21,596 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Geraldine
Nearby Names Like Geraldine
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Geraldine
Compare Geraldine side by side: Geraldine vs Gertrude Geraldine vs Gertie Geraldine vs Geri
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Geraldine
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Geraldine: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1930)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Geraldine draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.