Gerard

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Gerard

Gerard Butler

Scottish actor and film producer

Choose Gerard and your child shares a first name with Gerard Butler, a Scottish actor and film producer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Gerard, like who?” Gerard Butler's Wikipedia article is available in 73 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Gerard Butler on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Gordon Correll, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 17,986 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Gerard, 95 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Gerard would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryGerard first shows up in US birth records in 1886, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 139 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1954, when it ranked #177. Today it's #1,708, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendGerard has slipped 257 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,708. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedGerard is most popular in New Jersey, where it ranks #829, followed by Virginia (#971). It's in the top 1,000 in 2 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Gerard means “brave spear”. Our records link it to English, French and German roots.

About the name Gerard

Gerard is a boy name of English, French and German origin meaning “brave spear”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with G and ending in “-ard”. US birth records list Gerard for boys from 1886 to 2025, in 136 of those 140 years. Its best year was 1954, when it ranked #177 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,708, with 95 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGerman names