ninan.org

Gerald

Boys' name · Mid-century perennial

Living in the US
~229,700 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#1,204 among boys
Births in 2025
168 451,351 since 1880
Typical age
68 years, median

Gerald popularity over time

Gerald rank by birth year, 1880–2025Gerald ranked #571 in 1880 and #1,204 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #19, in 1936.#100#1,000#1,204best #19 in 193618901920195019802010
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1880–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

Gerald was used most in 1942, when 11,521 babies were given the name. The name is already in use in 1880, where the data begins. It has held a top-100 place in 63 separate years.

The 2025 position is #1,204, on 168 births. Over ten years the count has fallen 46%. It slipped 34 places against the previous year.

Babies named Gerald per yearPeaks at 11,521 births in 1942.11,521 in 1942018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Gerald?

About 229,700 people named Gerald are alive in the United States today. SSA has recorded 451,351 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Gerald?

Half of living Geralds are older than 68, half younger. More of them were born in the 1950s than in any other decade. By the site’s era rules that makes Gerald a mid-century perennial name.

Your Gerald

Ages of living people named GeraldHalf of living Geralds are older than 68 and half younger.median 68020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Gerald is most common

Relative to births, Louisiana carries 2.4× the national share of Geralds. Michigan, Maryland and Pennsylvania follow.

Where Gerald is used more than average5 states use the name Gerald more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: not over-representedMEVermont: not over-representedVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: not over-representedNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: 2.3× the national rateMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: not over-representedWYSouth Dakota: not over-representedSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: 1.6× the national ratePANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: 1.7× the national rateMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: 2.4× the national rateLAMississippi: not over-representedMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: 1.4× the national rateFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Gerald is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Louisiana 64 2.4×
Michigan 124 2.3×
Maryland 52 1.7×
Pennsylvania 111 1.6×
Florida 170 1.4×

Gerald in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Gerald ranked #2,269 in 2025 on 10 births. That is 33% lower than five years earlier.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Gerald comes from

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.

Etymology summarised from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wiktionary entry.

Notable people named Gerald

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Gerald Ford president of the United States from 1974 to 1977 1913–2006 175
Gerald Edelman American biologist 1929–2014 56
Gerald Vanenburg Dutch association football player 1964 55
Gerald Durrell British naturalist and writer 1925–1995 52
Gerald Asamoah German association football player 1978 45
Gerald of Wales medieval clergyman and historian 1146–1220 39
Gerald Gardner British Wiccan leader 1884–1964 37
Gerald Wallace American basketball player 1982 34
Photo credits (6)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 462 in 1911 to 934 in 1912 — 2.0 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/gerald.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).