# Gertrude (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/gertrude/  
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 | girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “spear”, “strength”, “maiden”, “dear” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡɝtɹud/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Gertie, Trudy, Trudie |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 177,668 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 568 / 177,100 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 21, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old French [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *gaizaz (“spear”) + *þrūþiz (“strength”) or *trut- (“maiden, dear”) ; name of a Belgian seventh century saint.

## What it means

Gertrude is grouped under love, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 17 | 7,225 |
| 2012 | 17 | 7,244 |
| 2013 | 18 | 6,836 |
| 2014 | 20 | 6,284 |
| 2015 | 26 | 5,186 |
| 2016 | 36 | 4,117 |
| 2017 | 26 | 5,098 |
| 2018 | 25 | 5,216 |
| 2019 | 34 | 4,198 |
| 2020 | 32 | 4,293 |
| 2021 | 30 | 4,545 |
| 2022 | 32 | 4,407 |
| 2023 | 31 | 4,495 |
| 2024 | 29 | 4,700 |
| 2025 | 17 | 6,632 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 17 | 1,982 |
| 1928 | 12 | 2,439 |
| 1929 | 14 | 2,133 |
| 1930 | 13 | 2,224 |
| 1931 | 13 | 2,144 |
| 1932 | 13 | 2,136 |
| 1933 | 7 | 3,111 |
| 1934 | 6 | 3,440 |
| 1935 | 14 | 1,971 |
| 1936 | 9 | 2,514 |
| 1937 | 8 | 2,760 |
| 1938 | 12 | 2,120 |
| 1939 | 6 | 3,252 |
| 1943 | 7 | 3,064 |
| 1949 | 5 | 3,898 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 3 | 3,900 |
| 2006 | 4 | 4,157 |
| 2008 | 3 | 5,545 |
| 2011 | 4 | 4,764 |
| 2013 | 4 | 4,739 |
| 2021 | 3 | 5,581 |

## In other languages

- Czech: Gertruda
- Danish: Gertrud
- Dutch: Geertruida, Gertruida, Gertrude
- Esperanto: Gertrudo
- Estonian: Kertu
- Finnish: Kerttu
- French: Gertrude
- Georgian: გერტრუდა, გერტრუდი
- German: Gertrud, Gertraud, Gertrude
- Hungarian: Gertrúd
- Icelandic: Geirþrúður
- Italian: Geltrude
- Latvian: Ģertrūde
- Lithuanian: Gertrūda
- Norwegian: Gjertrud
- Polish: Gertruda
- Portuguese: Gertrudes
- Russian: Гертру́да
- Spanish: Gertrudis
- Swedish: Gertrud

## People named Gertrude

- Gertrude B. Elion, American biochemist and pharmacologist (1918–1999)
- Gertrude Stein, American author (1874–1946)
- Gertrude Bell, British traveller, writer, mountaineer, politician, archaeologist and spy (1868–1926)
- Gertrude Ederle, American swimmer (1905–2003)
- Gertrude Jekyll, Garden designer, artist, editor (1843-1932)
- Gertrude of Nivelles, Benedictine abbess and saint (626-659)
- Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist (1858-1934)
- Gertrude of Saxony, Countess of Holland and Countess of Flanders (1030–1113)
- Gertrude Käsebier, American photographer (1852-1934)
- Gertrude Berg, American actress, screenwriter (1899-1966)
- Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, American sculptor (1875-1942)
- Gertrude Atherton, American author (1857–1948)

## 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.