Gerald

Last seen for girls in 1993 at #8,052 · #1,204 for boys in 2025, 168 births
Given to boys 99.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1939 · 10,057 births
Debut · boys
11 births
In top 100 · boys
63 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
448,966
since 1880

Gerald over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201947peak #19, 1939boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#1,204168
2024—#1,170178
2023—#1,024213
2022—#1,066206
2021—#1,006217
2020—#954230
2019—#890245
2018—#894242
2017—#825271
2016—#809284
2015—#764312
2014—#810281
2013—#715329
2012—#683346
2011—#628373
2010—#679348
2009—#630396
2008—#604415
2007—#544472
2006—#545465
2005—#520472
2004—#463552
2003—#474529
2002—#443556
2001—#411609
2000—#382680
1999—#379686
1998—#376671
1997—#336773
1996—#322822
1995—#298889
1994—#284954
1993#8,05210#2561,116
1992#9,4918#2451,174
1991#13,1475#2351,261
1990—#2121,451
1989#8,0379#2011,469
1988#7,6919#1941,403
1987#6,78810#1901,441
1986#6,61210#1831,455
1985#5,07714#1811,446
1984#5,22213#1761,444
1983#4,28617#1681,549
1982#3,64722#1581,717
1981#4,53216#1541,764
1980#4,32717#1481,819
1979#3,54122#1431,863
1978#3,77719#1371,889
1977#4,42515#1312,046
1976#3,54019#1202,139
1975#3,95016#1082,398
1974#3,31320#1082,417
1973#2,50629#1022,592
1972#3,89415#1022,816
1971#2,34033#833,588
1970#1,95243#674,399
1969#1,95541#654,384
1968#2,24629#624,475
1967#1,88139#594,873
1966#2,14730#604,863
1965#1,85438#645,252
1964#2,10932#605,869
1963#2,06133#606,156
1962#2,07332#656,232
1961#1,72044#626,630
1960#1,88736#626,571
1959#1,72041#616,636
1958#1,90833#586,865
1957#1,86934#517,595
1956#1,87133#497,991
1955#1,87732#488,072
1954#1,64838#448,552
1953#1,67135#428,619
1952#1,74632#399,031
1951#1,74031#369,539
1950#1,45240#349,726
1949#1,80728#339,808
1948#1,52037#309,842
1947#1,35746#2810,750
1946#1,53233#2710,033
1945#1,33236#258,857
1944#1,29338#2410,023
1943#1,07755#2311,367
1942#1,32537#2211,484
1941#1,13343#2010,942
1940#1,09743#2110,236
1939#1,02248#1910,057
1938#1,20037#199,972
1937#98151#209,425
1936#1,13539#199,018
1935#99548#218,458
1934#98149#227,816
1933#1,06243#227,422
1932#1,07044#247,347
1931#93155#266,823
1930#1,18140#306,483
1929#1,04249#335,965
1928#1,21040#415,487
1927#1,02356#385,511
1926#1,07948#415,123
1925#1,25239#454,507
1924#1,92621#494,151
1923#1,67225#543,696
1922#1,78523#583,541
1921#1,76524#603,382
1920#1,88921#643,157
1919#2,06317#702,689
1918#1,64524#722,712
1917#2,69311#692,486
1916#2,49812#762,260
1915#3,1348#782,085
1914#2,8767#811,468
1913#2,8276#841,142
1912#2,9795#86929
1911—#88462
1910#2,3985#105289
1909—#95301
1908—#97270
1907—#102239
1906—#112191
1905—#113189
1904—#106201
1903—#107182
1902—#127151
1901—#124133
1900—#140157
1899—#143108
1898—#165100
1897—#16693
1896—#16895
1895—#19376
1894—#19775
1893—#22955
1892—#22162
1891—#23945
1890—#25644
1889—#23348
1888—#33030
1887—#35222
1886—#32128
1885—#36423
1884—#41619
1883—#49713
1882—#46915
1881—#46014
1880—#57111
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Gerald was already there! It came in at #571, and was given to 11 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1883, when fewer than 16 boys a year got the name.

Where Gerald is popular in 1947

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #37 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 114 boysAKMaine: #27 for boys · 104 births · 1 in 103 boysMEVermont: #35 for boys · 29 births · 1 in 137 boysVTNew Hampshire: #32 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 140 boysNHWashington: #31 for boys · 216 births · 1 in 127 boysWAIdaho: #38 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 170 boysIDMontana: #23 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 106 boysMTNorth Dakota: #16 for boys · 104 births · 1 in 72 boysNDMinnesota: #22 for boys · 407 births · 1 in 86 boysMNIllinois: #29 for boys · 715 births · 1 in 130 boysILWisconsin: #18 for boys · 484 births · 1 in 81 boysWIMichigan: #22 for boys · 750 births · 1 in 102 boysMINew York: #35 for boys · 949 births · 1 in 166 boysNYMassachusetts: #31 for boys · 384 births · 1 in 136 boysMARhode Island: #27 for boys · 72 births · 1 in 118 boysRIOregon: #40 for boys · 95 births · 1 in 178 boysORNevada: #66 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 262 boysNVWyoming: #27 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 123 boysWYSouth Dakota: #25 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 116 boysSDIowa: #34 for boys · 197 births · 1 in 154 boysIAIndiana: #34 for boys · 232 births · 1 in 194 boysINOhio: #32 for boys · 585 births · 1 in 162 boysOHPennsylvania: #26 for boys · 891 births · 1 in 133 boysPANew Jersey: #46 for boys · 244 births · 1 in 203 boysNJConnecticut: #32 for boys · 143 births · 1 in 147 boysCTCalifornia: #42 for boys · 599 births · 1 in 199 boysCAUtah: #57 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 230 boysUTColorado: #28 for boys · 115 births · 1 in 134 boysCONebraska: #22 for boys · 136 births · 1 in 107 boysNEMissouri: #25 for boys · 316 births · 1 in 138 boysMOKentucky: #39 for boys · 175 births · 1 in 215 boysKYWest Virginia: #41 for boys · 121 births · 1 in 217 boysWVVirginia: #53 for boys · 147 births · 1 in 261 boysVAMaryland: #36 for boys · 134 births · 1 in 191 boysMDDelaware: #24 for boys · 30 births · 1 in 109 boysDEArizona: #52 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 230 boysAZNew Mexico: #65 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 250 boysNMKansas: #27 for boys · 140 births · 1 in 144 boysKSArkansas: #58 for boys · 84 births · 1 in 286 boysARTennessee: #48 for boys · 164 births · 1 in 257 boysTNNorth Carolina: #55 for boys · 192 births · 1 in 277 boysNCSouth Carolina: #66 for boys · 101 births · 1 in 285 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #37 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 202 boysDCOklahoma: #40 for boys · 131 births · 1 in 190 boysOKLouisiana: #30 for boys · 236 births · 1 in 144 boysLAMississippi: #66 for boys · 98 births · 1 in 298 boysMSAlabama: #43 for boys · 176 births · 1 in 227 boysALGeorgia: #65 for boys · 145 births · 1 in 311 boysGAHawaii: #36 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 128 boysHITexas: #64 for boys · 296 births · 1 in 331 boysTXFlorida: #38 for boys · 141 births · 1 in 204 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. North Dakota#16 · 1 in 72
  2. Wisconsin#18 · 1 in 81
  3. Minnesota#22 · 1 in 86
  4. Michigan#22 · 1 in 102
  5. Nebraska#22 · 1 in 107

Best ever in a state: #7 in Minnesota, 1932.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
North Dakota#161041 in 72
Wisconsin#184841 in 81
Michigan#227501 in 102
Minnesota#224071 in 86
Nebraska#221361 in 107
Montana#23611 in 106
Delaware#24301 in 109
Missouri#253161 in 138
South Dakota#25621 in 116
Pennsylvania#268911 in 133
Kansas#271401 in 144
Maine#271041 in 103
Rhode Island#27721 in 118
Wyoming#27231 in 123
Colorado#281151 in 134
Illinois#297151 in 130
Louisiana#302361 in 144
Massachusetts#313841 in 136
Washington#312161 in 127
Connecticut#321431 in 147
New Hampshire#32431 in 140
Ohio#325851 in 162
Indiana#342321 in 194
Iowa#341971 in 154
New York#359491 in 166
Vermont#35291 in 137
Hawaii#36481 in 128
Maryland#361341 in 191
Alaska#3781 in 114
District of Columbia#37621 in 202
Florida#381411 in 204
Idaho#38401 in 170
Kentucky#391751 in 215
Oklahoma#401311 in 190
Oregon#40951 in 178
West Virginia#411211 in 217
California#425991 in 199
Alabama#431761 in 227
New Jersey#462441 in 203
Tennessee#481641 in 257
Arizona#52401 in 230
Virginia#531471 in 261
North Carolina#551921 in 277
Utah#57431 in 230
Arkansas#58841 in 286
Texas#642961 in 331
Georgia#651451 in 311
New Mexico#65361 in 250
Mississippi#66981 in 298
Nevada#6661 in 262
South Carolina#661011 in 285

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Gerald
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 34 spots since 2024 (#1,170 → #1,204)
  • 250 spots since 2020 (#954 → #1,204)
  • 440 spots since 2015 (#764 → #1,204)
  • Biggest jump: 111 spots in 1881 (#571 → #460)
  • Biggest drop: 95 spots in 2014 (#715 → #810)
Rise & fade · boys
59 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1939 at #19 (10,057 births)
  • Births halved by 1966, 27 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 63 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 63 yrs · run 1911–1971
  • Top 1,000: 141 yrs · run 1880–2020
Share of babies · boys
1 in 110
  • Highest: 1 in 110 boys born in 1939 were named Gerald (0.91%)
  • Latest: 1 in 10,167 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1940s
  • 23.0% of all boys named Gerald (103,342) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s223#233 (1889)#401
1890s753#143 (1899)#198
1900s2,014#95 (1909)#112
1910s16,522#69 (1917)#81
1920s44,520#33 (1929)#48
1930s82,821#19 (1939)#22
1940s103,342#20 (1941)#25
1950s82,626#34 (1950)#46
1960s55,305#59 (1967)#62
1970s26,147#67 (1970)#110
1980s15,507#148 (1980)#175
1990s9,797#212 (1990)#294
2000s5,146#382 (2000)#502
2010s3,031#628 (2011)#770
2020s1,212#954 (2020)#1,071

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Gerald in 1947

girls
#1,357
46 births · 1 in 38,538 girls
boys
#28
10,750 births · 1 in 170 boys

Top girls' names in 1947

  1. #1Linda99,692
  2. #2Mary71,690
  3. #3Patricia51,278
  4. #4Barbara48,800
  5. #5Sandra34,779
  6. #6Carol33,543
  7. #7Nancy32,445
  8. #8Susan31,952
  9. #9Sharon28,533
  10. #10Donna23,517
  11. #1,357Gerald46

Top boys' names in 1947

  1. #1James94,767
  2. #2Robert91,655
  3. #3John88,324
  4. #4William67,002
  5. #5Richard58,532
  6. #6David57,810
  7. #7Michael50,506
  8. #8Thomas44,842
  9. #9Charles40,781
  10. #10Larry34,946
  11. #28Gerald10,750
More about 1947

girls

1,772,766 girls got a published name in 1947; 1 in 38,538 of them was named Gerald, which outranked 77.8% of the 6,104 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 25.7% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gerald
  1. #1,337Sherian47
  2. #1,337Trena47
  3. #1,337Verlene47
  4. #1,357Gerald46
  5. #1,357Abby46
  6. #1,357Alexa46
  7. #1,357Amparo46
  8. #1,377Arlinda45
  9. #1,377Caron45
  10. #1,377Cherilyn45

Tied with 19 names at #1,357; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1946
Risers
  1. ↑ 417Michaele#1,276 → #859
  2. ↑ 385Carlotta#997 → #612
  3. ↑ 332Ricki#1,290 → #958
  4. ↑ 300Daria#1,220 → #920
  5. ↑ 290Ivy#1,087 → #797
Fallers
  1. ↓ 341Merlene#961 → #1,302
  2. ↓ 285Beatriz#985 → #1,270
  3. ↓ 276Ruthanne#874 → #1,150
  4. ↓ 253Estela#897 → #1,150
  5. ↓ 242Verla#885 → #1,127

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,829,599 boys got a published name in 1947; 1 in 170 of them was named Gerald, which outranked 99.3% of the 4,266 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Gerald
  1. #25Roger12,760
  2. #26Terry12,751
  3. #27Raymond12,352
  4. #28Gerald10,750
  5. #29Bruce10,524
  6. #30Wayne10,169
  7. #31Douglas9,895
Biggest movers since 1946
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,271Brock#2,271 → #1,000
  2. ↑ 586Shawn#1,509 → #923
  3. ↑ 500Jed#1,475 → #975
  4. ↑ 358Jody#935 → #577
  5. ↑ 355Deryl#1,355 → #1,000
Fallers
  1. ↓ 497Hurley#952 → #1,449
  2. ↓ 393Prentice#878 → #1,271
  3. ↓ 362Darvin#935 → #1,297
  4. ↓ 310Lary#826 → #1,136
  5. ↓ 303Judith#856 → #1,159

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1947 →