Gerard
Gerard was given to 95 boys in 2025, #1,713 among boys’ names; 58,932 Americans have been recorded with it since 1886 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 33,800 Americans named Gerard and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (57% of everyone recorded); the median is 63 years old and half are between 45 and 71.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Gerard by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Gerard mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Gerard is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the senses “spear” (*gaiʀ) and “hard, brave” (ī)).
From Middle English Gerard, from Old French Gerart, from Frankish *Gaiʀahard, from *gaiʀ (“spear”) + *hard(ī) (“hard, brave”).
/d͡ʒəˈɹɑɹd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Gerard?
#1,713 among boys’ names, 2025
Gerard fell from #1,086 in 2015 to #1,713 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 93.9 to 55.6 per million.
1,617 babies in 1956, the peak
Gerard peaked in 1956, when 1,617 boys were given it, #180 among boys’ names. The 95 births of 2025 are 6% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 95 | #1,713 | 0.06 |
| 2024 | 115 | #1,534 | 0.07 |
| 2023 | 130 | #1,409 | 0.08 |
| 2022 | 128 | #1,428 | 0.07 |
| 2021 | 121 | #1,483 | 0.07 |
| 2020 | 119 | #1,456 | 0.07 |
| 2019 | 116 | #1,480 | 0.06 |
| 2018 | 149 | #1,241 | 0.08 |
| 2017 | 161 | #1,166 | 0.09 |
| 2016 | 160 | #1,186 | 0.08 |
Every recorded year (136)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 180 | #1,086 | 0.09 |
| 2014 | 202 | #1,013 | 0.11 |
| 2013 | 183 | #1,049 | 0.10 |
| 2012 | 171 | #1,091 | 0.09 |
| 2011 | 172 | #1,084 | 0.09 |
| 2010 | 140 | #1,253 | 0.07 |
| 2009 | 130 | #1,335 | 0.07 |
| 2008 | 126 | #1,357 | 0.06 |
| 2007 | 100 | #1,568 | 0.05 |
| 2006 | 117 | #1,377 | 0.06 |
| 2005 | 113 | #1,335 | 0.06 |
| 2004 | 124 | #1,223 | 0.06 |
| 2003 | 134 | #1,131 | 0.07 |
| 2002 | 156 | #998 | 0.08 |
| 2001 | 146 | #1,016 | 0.08 |
| 2000 | 194 | #822 | 0.10 |
| 1999 | 175 | #862 | 0.09 |
| 1998 | 175 | #837 | 0.09 |
| 1997 | 190 | #776 | 0.10 |
| 1996 | 195 | #758 | 0.10 |
| 1995 | 213 | #733 | 0.11 |
| 1994 | 258 | #649 | 0.13 |
| 1993 | 250 | #651 | 0.13 |
| 1992 | 268 | #630 | 0.13 |
| 1991 | 309 | #574 | 0.15 |
| 1990 | 350 | #526 | 0.17 |
| 1989 | 326 | #534 | 0.16 |
| 1988 | 327 | #507 | 0.17 |
| 1987 | 314 | #506 | 0.17 |
| 1986 | 330 | #479 | 0.18 |
| 1985 | 343 | #468 | 0.19 |
| 1984 | 336 | #460 | 0.19 |
| 1983 | 303 | #486 | 0.17 |
| 1982 | 366 | #441 | 0.20 |
| 1981 | 316 | #468 | 0.18 |
| 1980 | 342 | #453 | 0.19 |
| 1979 | 336 | #440 | 0.20 |
| 1978 | 337 | #435 | 0.21 |
| 1977 | 348 | #423 | 0.21 |
| 1976 | 367 | #405 | 0.23 |
| 1975 | 399 | #392 | 0.26 |
| 1974 | 387 | #394 | 0.25 |
| 1973 | 377 | #401 | 0.24 |
| 1972 | 399 | #394 | 0.25 |
| 1971 | 516 | #355 | 0.29 |
| 1970 | 547 | #346 | 0.29 |
| 1969 | 543 | #334 | 0.30 |
| 1968 | 585 | #312 | 0.34 |
| 1967 | 665 | #280 | 0.38 |
| 1966 | 795 | #257 | 0.45 |
| 1965 | 827 | #256 | 0.44 |
| 1964 | 1,023 | #237 | 0.51 |
| 1963 | 1,072 | #229 | 0.53 |
| 1962 | 1,121 | #228 | 0.54 |
| 1961 | 1,309 | #215 | 0.62 |
| 1960 | 1,397 | #205 | 0.66 |
| 1959 | 1,399 | #205 | 0.66 |
| 1958 | 1,475 | #191 | 0.69 |
| 1957 | 1,517 | #189 | 0.70 |
| 1956 | 1,617 | #180 | 0.76 |
| 1955 | 1,521 | #179 | 0.74 |
| 1954 | 1,520 | #177 | 0.75 |
| 1953 | 1,366 | #186 | 0.69 |
| 1952 | 1,338 | #184 | 0.69 |
| 1951 | 1,303 | #183 | 0.69 |
| 1950 | 1,160 | #191 | 0.65 |
| 1949 | 1,044 | #197 | 0.59 |
| 1948 | 972 | #202 | 0.55 |
| 1947 | 983 | #202 | 0.54 |
| 1946 | 884 | #197 | 0.54 |
| 1945 | 681 | #210 | 0.51 |
| 1944 | 720 | #205 | 0.53 |
| 1943 | 770 | #205 | 0.54 |
| 1942 | 832 | #193 | 0.60 |
| 1941 | 689 | #200 | 0.56 |
| 1940 | 553 | #224 | 0.48 |
| 1939 | 521 | #228 | 0.47 |
| 1938 | 536 | #224 | 0.48 |
| 1937 | 478 | #243 | 0.45 |
| 1936 | 468 | #241 | 0.45 |
| 1935 | 525 | #225 | 0.50 |
| 1934 | 545 | #220 | 0.53 |
| 1933 | 536 | #215 | 0.54 |
| 1932 | 542 | #221 | 0.52 |
| 1931 | 551 | #222 | 0.53 |
| 1930 | 601 | #215 | 0.55 |
| 1929 | 552 | #230 | 0.51 |
| 1928 | 594 | #222 | 0.54 |
| 1927 | 629 | #212 | 0.56 |
| 1926 | 586 | #228 | 0.53 |
| 1925 | 554 | #236 | 0.50 |
| 1924 | 541 | #248 | 0.48 |
| 1923 | 554 | #238 | 0.51 |
| 1922 | 542 | #242 | 0.50 |
| 1921 | 530 | #244 | 0.48 |
| 1920 | 408 | #275 | 0.38 |
| 1919 | 410 | #263 | 0.42 |
| 1918 | 447 | #252 | 0.44 |
| 1917 | 413 | #248 | 0.45 |
| 1916 | 359 | #265 | 0.40 |
| 1915 | 323 | #272 | 0.38 |
| 1914 | 236 | #291 | 0.36 |
| 1913 | 201 | #272 | 0.39 |
| 1912 | 149 | #294 | 0.35 |
| 1911 | 89 | #277 | 0.39 |
| 1910 | 49 | #366 | 0.25 |
| 1909 | 39 | #392 | 0.24 |
| 1908 | 30 | #441 | 0.19 |
| 1907 | 32 | #398 | 0.22 |
| 1906 | 25 | #445 | 0.19 |
| 1905 | 25 | #435 | 0.19 |
| 1904 | 18 | #523 | 0.14 |
| 1903 | 11 | #711 | 0.09 |
| 1902 | 8 | #883 | 0.07 |
| 1901 | 15 | #514 | 0.14 |
| 1900 | 11 | #805 | 0.07 |
| 1899 | 5 | #1,104 | 0.05 |
| 1898 | 5 | #1,198 | 0.04 |
| 1897 | 5 | #1,125 | 0.04 |
| 1896 | 10 | #747 | 0.08 |
| 1895 | 14 | #566 | 0.12 |
| 1894 | 9 | #755 | 0.08 |
| 1892 | 5 | #1,135 | 0.04 |
| 1891 | 8 | #726 | 0.08 |
| 1889 | 9 | #692 | 0.08 |
| 1886 | 5 | #1,020 | 0.05 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Gerard a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Gerard has been given almost only to boys: 112 girls in 136 years of records.
Girls and boys named Gerard: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Gerard, and how old are they?
33,800 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 57% of the 58,932 Americans ever recorded as Gerard. The median Gerard alive today is 63 years old; half are between 45 and 71.
The 2020 Census counted 41,777 people named Gerard (57 women and girls, 41,720 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 37,433 born in the U.S. The Census count is 12% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 2,230 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 16,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 6,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 4,570 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 2,320 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,850 |
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 Gerard born?
The states with the most babies named Gerard are New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, with 51% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Massachusetts is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 17,001 | #1,340 | 3.4× |
| Massachusetts | 5,634 | not ranked | 3.2× |
| Pennsylvania | 4,893 | #1,141 | 1.3× |
| New Jersey | 4,826 | #860 | 2.7× |
| California | 2,133 | #2,291 | 0.5× |
| Louisiana | 2,105 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Michigan | 2,044 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 1,873 | not ranked | 0.6× |
| Maine | 1,521 | not ranked | 4.2× |
| Maryland | 1,240 | not ranked | 1.3× |
Where Gerard is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Gerard is most over-represented in New Hampshire: since 1910 it was given 4.5 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 Gerard 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 63,941 babies since 1880, Gerard is the most given (92% of them). In 2025 it was given to 95 of their 101 babies (94%), 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 Gerard
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 Gerard and names like it
- Compare Gerard and GerhardBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1950sGerard peaked in 1956.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Gerard since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Gerard: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1956The year the most babies were named Gerard.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Gerard alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with GMost given first.