# Gerald (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gerald/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “spear”, “might”, “power” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɛɹəld/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Jerrold, Jerald |
| US babies named this | 451,351 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 448,966 / 2,385 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 377, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

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.

## What it means

Gerald is grouped under strong and sword.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 19 | 3,821 |
| 1979 | 22 | 3,577 |
| 1980 | 17 | 4,390 |
| 1981 | 16 | 4,600 |
| 1982 | 22 | 3,683 |
| 1983 | 17 | 4,336 |
| 1984 | 13 | 5,311 |
| 1985 | 14 | 5,154 |
| 1986 | 10 | 6,772 |
| 1987 | 10 | 6,967 |
| 1988 | 9 | 7,920 |
| 1989 | 9 | 8,264 |
| 1991 | 5 | 13,900 |
| 1992 | 8 | 9,791 |
| 1993 | 10 | 8,266 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 373 | 628 |
| 2012 | 346 | 684 |
| 2013 | 329 | 715 |
| 2014 | 281 | 810 |
| 2015 | 312 | 765 |
| 2016 | 284 | 810 |
| 2017 | 271 | 825 |
| 2018 | 242 | 895 |
| 2019 | 245 | 892 |
| 2020 | 230 | 955 |
| 2021 | 217 | 1,012 |
| 2022 | 206 | 1,066 |
| 2023 | 213 | 1,029 |
| 2024 | 178 | 1,171 |
| 2025 | 168 | 1,206 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4 | 3,830 |
| 2012 | 15 | 1,589 |
| 2013 | 11 | 1,920 |
| 2014 | 9 | 2,248 |
| 2015 | 10 | 2,150 |
| 2016 | 12 | 1,903 |
| 2017 | 7 | 2,734 |
| 2018 | 11 | 1,991 |
| 2019 | 8 | 2,488 |
| 2020 | 15 | 1,548 |
| 2021 | 8 | 2,493 |
| 2022 | 10 | 2,165 |
| 2023 | 11 | 2,007 |
| 2024 | 13 | 1,859 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2,269 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 傑拉爾德 /杰拉尔德
- Danish: Gervold
- French: Gérald
- German: Gerald
- Greek: Γεράλδος, Τζέραλντ
- Italian: Geri, Geraldo
- Latin: Geraldus
- Portuguese: Geraldo
- Spanish: Geraldo
- Welsh: Gerallt

## People named Gerald

- Gerald Edelman, American biologist (1929–2014)
- Gerald Vanenburg, Dutch association football player
- Gerald Durrell, British naturalist and writer (1925–1995)
- Gerald Asamoah, German association football player
- Gérald Passi, French association football player
- Gerald Gardner, British Wiccan leader (1884–1964)
- Gérald Darmanin, French politician
- Gerald Wallace, American basketball player (born 1982)
- Gérald Lacroix, Canadian cardinal
- Gerald Carr, American astronaut (1932–2020)
- Gerald Bull, Canadian artillery engineer, entrepreneur (1928–1990)
- Gerald Cohen, Canadian political philosopher, founder of analytical Marxism (1941–2009)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.