Gerald

Gerald: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “rule of the spear”
Origin: Germanic
Say it: JAIR-uld · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys

From Germanic elements ger 'spear' and wald 'rule'. Introduced to England by the Normans; related forms include Gerard and Geraldine.

English names German names Irish names Names meaning strength Names meaning warrior Names meaning protector Classic names Vintage names International names

How popular is Gerald?

202454.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Gerald in 2024178

2024 rank#1,167 boys

Peak year1939

Total US babies since 1880451,178

Gerald is steady now but far below its 1939 peak.

Names like Gerald

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Jerryspear ruler · English
Geraldinerule of the spear · French
Gerryrule of the spear · Germanic
Jerroldspear ruler · Germanic
Jerrieruler with the spear · English
Williamresolute protector · Germanic
Henryhome ruler · Germanic
Charlesfree man · Germanic

Gerald questions

What does the name Gerald mean?

Gerald means "rule of the spear". It comes from Germanic. From Germanic elements ger 'spear' and wald 'rule'. Introduced to England by the Normans; related forms include Gerard and Geraldine.

Is Gerald a boy or girl name?

Gerald is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Gerald?

178 US babies were named Gerald in 2024. Its peak year was 1939.

How do you pronounce Gerald?

Gerald is usually pronounced JAIR-uld.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.