Nameling

Gerald

Boy · JERR-uld · Germanic

Gerald is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “spear ruler”. In 2025 it ranked 1,964th for boys in the UK (13 babies) and 1,204th for boys in the US (168 babies).

What does Gerald mean?

Germanic: Germanic, via Norman French

“spear ruler”

Germanic name brought to Britain by the Normans; Gerald of Wales was a celebrated 12th-century chronicler.

Say it
JERR-uld

More on Wiktionary.

Is Gerald a girl's or a boy's name?

Gerald is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 13 boys in the UK and 168 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Gerald in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#1,964among boys
Babies in 2025
13about 1 in 23,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steadymuch the same
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 13 boys in the UK were named Gerald, making it the 1,964th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,581st. Its busiest year was 1997, with 30 boys.

Half of all the boys named Gerald in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2015. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

Among boys in 2025, it was 2,265th in England and Wales and 395th in Northern Ireland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#68), 1914 (#70), 1924 (#51), 1934 (#40), 1944 (#49), 1954 (#60) and 1964 (#91).

1996Busiest: 30 in 19972025
Gerald in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202513#1,964
202413#1,917
202311#2,155
202210#2,279
20218#2,619
202016#1,581
20198#2,633
201813#1,902
20177#2,875
201614#1,804
201510#2,260
201411#2,054
201314#1,715
201215#1,692
20118#2,503
20109#2,306
200915#1,582
200816#1,490
200716#1,458
200620#1,167
200514#1,445
200415#1,301
200326#862
200218#1,030
200115#1,103
200023#812
199917#959
199823#778
199730#625
199629#615

How popular is Gerald in the US?

Rank in 2025
#1,204among boys
Babies in 2025
168about 1 in 10,000 boys
Five-year trend
Steadydown 22% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 168 boys in the US were named Gerald, making it the 1,204th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 954th. Its busiest year was 1942, with 11,484 boys.

2025 had fewer boys named Gerald than any year since 1902.

Half of all the boys named Gerald in the US since 1880 were born between 1936 and 1960, the years shaded on the chart below.

1880Busiest: 11,484 in 19422025
Gerald in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025168#1,204
2024178#1,170
2023213#1,024
2022206#1,066
2021217#1,006
2020230#954
2019245#890
2018242#894
2017271#825
2016284#809
2015312#764
2014281#810
2013329#715
2012346#683
2011373#628
2010348#679
2009396#630
2008415#604
2007472#544
2006465#545
2005472#520
2004552#463
2003529#474
2002556#443
2001609#411
2000680#382
1999686#379
1998671#376
1997773#336
1996822#322
1995889#298
1994954#284
19931,116#256
19921,174#245
19911,261#235
19901,451#212
19891,469#201
19881,403#194
19871,441#190
19861,455#183
19851,446#181
19841,444#176
19831,549#168
19821,717#158
19811,764#154
19801,819#148
19791,863#143
19781,889#137
19772,046#131
19762,139#120
19752,398#108
19742,417#108
19732,592#102
19722,816#102
19713,588#83
19704,399#67
19694,384#65
19684,475#62
19674,873#59
19664,863#60
19655,252#64
19645,869#60
19636,156#60
19626,232#65
19616,630#62
19606,571#62
19596,636#61
19586,865#58
19577,595#51
19567,991#49
19558,072#48
19548,552#44
19538,619#42
19529,031#39
19519,539#36
19509,726#34
19499,808#33
19489,842#30
194710,750#28
194610,033#27
19458,857#25
194410,023#24
194311,367#23
194211,484#22
194110,942#20
194010,236#21
193910,057#19
19389,972#19
19379,425#20
19369,018#19
19358,458#21
19347,816#22
19337,422#22
19327,347#24
19316,823#26
19306,483#30
19295,965#33
19285,487#41
19275,511#38
19265,123#41
19254,507#45
19244,151#49
19233,696#54
19223,541#58
19213,382#60
19203,157#64
19192,689#70
19182,712#72
19172,486#69
19162,260#76
19152,085#78
19141,468#81
19131,142#84
1912929#86
1911462#88
1910289#105
1909301#95
1908270#97
1907239#102
1906191#112
1905189#113
1904201#106
1903182#107
1902151#127
1901133#124
1900157#140
1899108#143
1898100#165
189793#166
189695#168
189576#193
189475#197
189355#229
189262#221
189145#239
189044#256
188948#233
188830#330
188722#352
188628#321
188523#364
188419#416
188313#497
188215#469
188114#460
188011#571

Nicknames for Gerald

Names like Gerald

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Names related to Gerald

More Germanic names