Total births
177,100
Girls' name · since 1880
Gertrude
177,100 babies named Gertrude in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1917. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4670
- among girls today
- 177,100
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
177,100 babies have been named Gertrude since 1880, making it today's #4670 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Gertrude recorded 177,100 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #4670 nationally today, ahead of 74% of girls, peaking in the 1910s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #4670 among girls today
- 177,100 born since 1880
- 1910s peak decade
- 74% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Gertrude is currently the #4670 girls' name in America, more common than 74% of girls - 177,100 born since 1880, peaking in the 1910s.
- #4670
- among girls today
- 177,100
- born since 1880
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 74%
- more common than other girls
Gertrude vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#4670
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 74% of names given to girls today.
1910s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Gertrude was born in this single decade.
1917
Single peak year
6,300 babies were named Gertrude in 1917 - its busiest year on record.
How Gertrude compares
177,100 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Gertrude's all-time total is 464x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Gertrude | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 177,100 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,300 | 48 | 19,840 |
Gertrude's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Gertrude's full recorded timeline at 1953, 3% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 97% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1998, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1917 peak of 6,300 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Gertrude at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1917
Current rank
#4,670
Active since
1880
Gertrude popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1917)
- 6,300
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Gertrude popularity over time - boys
568 total births recorded since 1884 (Gertrude as boys' name)
Gertrude by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Gertrude's strongest decade.
49,565 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Gertrude births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 11,100
1880s
11,100 births
- 1890s
1890s
19,898 births
- 1900s
1900s
23,607 births
- 1910s
1910s
49,565 births
- 1920s
1920s
42,459 births
- 1930s 16,137
1930s
16,137 births
- 1940s 7,936
1940s
7,936 births
- 1950s 3,936
1950s
3,936 births
- 1960s 1,250
1960s
1,250 births
- 1970s 380
1970s
380 births
- 1980s 188
1980s
188 births
- 1990s 102
1990s
102 births
- 2000s 135
2000s
135 births
- 2010s 236
2010s
236 births
- 2020s 171
2020s
171 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 49,565 births (28% of all-time use).
How Gertrude 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 Gertrude's total volume
Gertrude vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Gertrude by state
Where Gertrude concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 17,378 | 9.8% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 12,365 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 6,590 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 6,433 | 3.6% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 5,301 | 3.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 5,085 | 2.9% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 4,845 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 3,744 | 2.1% |
New York share of Gertrude's total US births 9.8%
Even split
17,378 of 177,100 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Gertrude appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Gertrude? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 177,100 babies named Gertrude. Today it holds rank #4670 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1917, with 6,300 births.
When was Gertrude most popular? ▼
Gertrude was most popular in the 1910s decade with 49,565 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Gertrude most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Gertrude are New York (17,378 births), Pennsylvania (12,365 births), Massachusetts (6,590 births).
How long has the name Gertrude been used? ▼
Gertrude has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Gertrude? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Geraldine, Gertie, Geri, Germaine, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Gertrude's data
- Gertrude's decade-level peak was the 1910s (49,565 total births); usage has since declined to 171 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Gertrudes (17,378 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Gertrude
Nearby Names Like Gertrude
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Gertrude
Geraldine Girl
#1997 211,349 births
Gertie Girl
8,532 births
Geri Girl
8,021 births
Germaine Girl
7,910 births
Gerry Girl
6,657 births
Compare Gertrude side by side: Gertrude vs Geraldine Gertrude vs Gertie Gertrude vs Geri
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Gertrude
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Gertrude: #4670 Girls' Name - 177,100 Births, Peak 1917." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/gertrude. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Gertrude 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 June 2026.