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Name Lineage

    The first name Gerda

    A girl’s name meaning “protection”.

    2 syllables Female

    Meaning and origin

    Gerda means “protection”.

    Latinate variant of Scandinavian Gerd, from Old Norse Gerðr, garðr (“protection”). The name occurs in nineteenth century Swedish poetry and in Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen (1844).

    More names that mean protector.

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    Gerda last appeared in the official list in 2016, given to 4 girls. It peaked in 2014, with 7 births (#3,160).

    0510 1996200020052010201520202025
    58
    babies named Gerda, 1996–2025
    #4,763
    rank in 2016
    2014
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Gerda with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Gerda at birth, 1880–2025

    In 1972, 7 girls born in the United States were named Gerda, the 6,782nd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1915, when 49 were.

    02550 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    1,099
    babies named Gerda since 1880
    #6,782
    rank in 1972
    1915
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Gerda

    13 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Gerda Lerner
      Austrian-American women's history scholar (1920-2013)
    • Gerda van der Kade-Koudijs
      Dutch athlete (1923–2015)
    • Gerda Maurus
      Austrian actress (1903–1968)
    • Gerda Kraan
      Dutch middle distance runner, born 1933
    • Gerda Neumann
      Danish actress, 1915–1947
    • Gerda Alexander
      German / Danish teacher (1908-1994)
    • Gerda Paumgarten
      Austrian alpine skier (1907–2000)
    • Gerda Holmes
      Actress (1891-1943)
    • Gerda Madsen
      Danish actress, 1902–1986
    • Gerda Christophersen
      Danish actress, singer, theater director and autobiographer (1870-1947)
    • Gerda Verburg
      Dutch diplomat, politician and trade union leader, born 1957
    • Gerda-Maria Jürgens
      German actress (1917–1998)

    Questions

    What does the name Gerda mean?
    Gerda means “protection”.
    How popular is the name Gerda?
    In 2016, 4 girls born in England and Wales were named Gerda, ranking 4,763rd. Its peak was 2014, with 7 births.
    Is Gerda a boy's or a girl's name?
    Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 1,099 US babies named Gerda since 1880 were girls.
    When was Gerda most popular?
    1915 in the United States, when 49 babies were named Gerda, its highest rank at 949th.