Head to head · Boys' names
Aurelio vs Gerardo
#681 vs #678 in 2025
Gerardo is a whisker ahead (#678 vs #681 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Gerardo is stepping back from its peak, Aurelio is back after a long quiet spell. On momentum, Aurelio has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Gerardo leads 4 measures of 6; Aurelio leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1900s: Aurelio #1049, Gerardo #1313 — Aurelio higher
- 1910s: Aurelio #1098, Gerardo #1881 — Aurelio higher
- 1920s: Aurelio #918, Gerardo #1708 — Aurelio higher
- 1930s: Aurelio #874, Gerardo #1614 — Aurelio higher
- 1940s: Aurelio #1067, Gerardo #1250 — Aurelio higher
- 1950s: Aurelio #1042, Gerardo #670 — Gerardo higher
- 1960s: Aurelio #1058, Gerardo #461 — Gerardo higher
- 1970s: Aurelio #956, Gerardo #327 — Gerardo higher
- 1980s: Aurelio #1093, Gerardo #292 — Gerardo higher
- 1990s: Aurelio #1262, Gerardo #225 — Gerardo higher
- 2000s: Aurelio #1657, Gerardo #254 — Gerardo higher
- 2010s: Aurelio #1704, Gerardo #436 — Gerardo higher
- 2020s: Aurelio #938, Gerardo #594 — Gerardo higher
Gerardo stood higher in 8 of 13 decades; Gerardo has held the lead since the 1950s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Aurelio | Gerardo |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | #1049 | #1313 |
| 1910s | #1098 | #1881 |
| 1920s | #918 | #1708 |
| 1930s | #874 | #1614 |
| 1940s | #1067 | #1250 |
| 1950s | #1042 | #670 |
| 1960s | #1058 | #461 |
| 1970s | #956 | #327 |
| 1980s | #1093 | #292 |
| 1990s | #1262 | #225 |
| 2000s | #1657 | #254 |
| 2010s | #1704 | #436 |
| 2020s | #938 | #594 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Aurelio
golden
From Latin aureus, "golden", ultimately from aurum, "gold" — the same root behind Spanish oro and Italian oro.
Aurelius → Aurelio
How it traveled
Aurelius began as the name of a Roman gens, the Aurelii, one of the plebeian families that rose to prominence in the Republic; its most famous bearer was the second-century emperor Marcus Aurelius. The name outlived the empire because early Christians carried it, and it settled into the Romance languages as Aurelio in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, Aurèle in French, Aurel in Romanian.
Gerardo
spear-brave, from Germanic ger (spear) and hard (bold, hardy)
Gerhard → Gerardus → Gérard → Gerardo
How it traveled
" Frankish and Lombard settlers carried it into what is now France and Italy, where it was reshaped by Romance mouths into Gérard, Gerardo and Geraldo; medieval Latin documents record it as Gerardus. Its Italian form belonged to Saint Gerard Majella, the eighteenth-century Redemptorist lay brother venerated as a patron of mothers and expectant mothers — a devotion that helped keep Gerardo alive in Catholic Italy and, through Spanish, across Latin America.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Aurelio
ow-REH-lee-oh
That is the Spanish and Italian pronunciation, with the stress on the second syllable. English speakers often say aw-REE-lee-oh, closer to the Latin Aurelius. Both are in real use, and it helps to decide early which one your family will offer first.
- Lelo — The usual affectionate short form in Spanish-speaking families; strictly informal.
- Aure — Clipped first syllable, used in Italian and Spanish; also serves the feminine Aurelia.
- Rel — An English-language shortening rather than a traditional one; used mostly among friends.
Gerardo
heh-RAR-doh
That is the Spanish pronunciation, with a breathy initial G. Italian speakers say jeh-RAR-doh, and English speakers often land on juh-RAR-doh. All three are heard in the US, so it is worth deciding early which one your family will offer.
- Gera — The everyday short form in Spanish-speaking families; informal, rarely used on documents.
- Gerry — Common in English-speaking settings, also spelled Jerry; stands alone as a given name in its own right.
- Yayo — An affectionate Spanish hypocoristic, used mostly within the family.
- Lalo — Used in Mexican and Central American families, though it more often belongs to Eduardo.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Aurelio if you want…
- a name on the way upup 522 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itAurelio runs 4 syllables, Gerardo 3
Choose Gerardo if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsGerardo is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesGerardo is 3 syllables to Aurelio's 4
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Aurelio
Strengths
- Works unchanged in Spanish and Italian, and needs only an accent in Portuguese — useful in a bilingual family.
- A documented record stretching back to Roman antiquity, with no gap in use since.
- Spelled the way it sounds for Spanish speakers, and short enough to write without difficulty.
To consider
- Two pronunciations circulate in the US — the Spanish ow-REH-lee-oh and the anglicized aw-REE-lee-oh — so an Aurelio will likely spend some of his life correcting one or the other, gently or otherwise.
- Lelo, the traditional Spanish short form, doubles as an ordinary Spanish adjective meaning dim-witted or dazed. Within a family it reads as affection; outside one it may need a moment's explanation.
- It sits close to Aurelia, Aureliano and Aurelius, and adults sometimes reach for the wrong one on a first hearing.
Gerardo
Strengths
- Works unchanged in Spanish and Italian, and has close relatives — Gerard, Gérard, Gerhard — in English, French and German.
- A documented line back to Germanic Gerhard, in continuous use for over a millennium.
- Several established short forms already in circulation: Gera, Gerry, Yayo.
To consider
- The initial G is the sticking point in English-speaking places: expect juh-RAR-doh from teachers and strangers unless you correct it. Many families simply accept both pronunciations.
- It is easily confused in writing with Geraldo, Gerald and Gerard, so spelling it out over the phone becomes routine.
- Outside Texas, California and the Southwest it is much less familiar, and it has been stepping back from its high point — a child named Gerardo is unlikely to share the name with a classmate.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Aurelio and Gerardo in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Vintage names making a comeback
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Four-syllable names that carry
- Names ending in -io
- all guides
Where Aurelio and Gerardo each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Aurelio or Gerardo — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Aurelio or Gerardo?
- Gerardo, in 2025: Gerardo ranked #678 with 401 babies; Aurelio ranked #681 with 399 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Aurelio or Gerardo?
- Aurelio. Over the last five years Aurelio moved up 522 places; Gerardo moved down 123 places.
- Which is the older name, Aurelio or Gerardo?
- Aurelio entered the US charts in 1904; Gerardo entered the US charts in 1906. On the American record, Aurelio is the older name.
- How many people are named Aurelio and Gerardo?
- About 6,700 people named Aurelio are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 52,000 people named Gerardo are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Aurelios or Gerardos in the classroom?
- Aurelio will almost certainly be the only one in school. Gerardo will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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