Gerald

Did you know?

A few things about Gerald you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Gerald

Gerald Edelman

American biologist (1929–2014)

Choose Gerald and your child shares a first name with Gerald Edelman, an American biologist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Gerald, like who?” Gerald Edelman's Wikipedia article is available in 56 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Gerald Edelman on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Bernard Gotfryd, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 10,163 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Gerald, 168 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Gerald would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryGerald has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Geralds, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1939, when it ranked #19. Today it's #1,204, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowGerald was 3.5× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,889 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 10,163.
• 🍂TrendGerald has slipped 250 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,204. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedGerald is most popular in Louisiana, where it ranks #591, followed by Michigan (#715) and Pennsylvania (#742). It's in the top 1,000 in 5 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Gerald means “spear rule”.

About the name Gerald

Gerald is a boy name meaning “spear rule”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with G and ending in “-ald”. US birth records list Gerald for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1939, when it ranked #19 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,204, with 168 babies.