Geraldene
Feminine
Geraldene swaps one vowel in a name that was itself made up in a Tudor poem. The two endings involved are said identically in English, and the only difference is which language each one looks like it came from.
How old is the name Geraldene?
Geraldene first appears in US birth records in 1913 — 112 years ago. The typical Geraldene alive today was born around 1936, making them about 89 years old. About 300 people named Geraldene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Geraldene most popular?
Geraldene peaked in 1931, reaching #1336 nationally. See the whole 1931 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Geraldene
English finishes a great many women's names with an unstressed syllable that sounds like een, and it spells that syllable at least four ways. The ine ending is French and reads as such: Josephine, Caroline, Maxine. The een spelling is Irish or invented. The ene spelling, as here, is the odd one out, because English uses it mainly in chemistry, where it marks a particular kind of compound. None of this changes the sound by a hair. What it changes is the direction the name appears to be pointing, and a reader picks that up in a fraction of a second without being able to say how.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name it respells was coined, so its sense depends on the Germanic elements in Gerald, which are documented. This spelling is not documented and no reason for the altered vowel has been recorded.
Pronouncing Geraldene
JAIR-ul-deen
Three syllables with the stress in front. The altered vowel is not audible.
Nicknames for Geraldene
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1913
- Most girls named
- 193130 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1336reached in 1931
- Change vs 1966
- −33.3%6 in 1970, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Geraldenes among us
people named Geraldene are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Geraldene sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The sound is entirely familiar, so it is never a puzzle to say.
- Gerri comes off the front as a short form and works for either sex.
- Three syllables with a strong front stress carry well across a room.
- Geraldine is the standard spelling by a wide margin and this one will be corrected to it regularly.
- The changed letter cannot be heard, so the spelling has to be given aloud every time.
- It reads as a name of an older American generation, which is either the appeal or the obstacle.
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Geraldene
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Geraldenes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Geraldene are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Geraldene in 2025?
- Geraldene is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Geraldene with classmates?
- Geraldene will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More G names
The most-given names starting with G, all years combined.
Grace#38 · Gloria#654 · Gladys#3211 · Geraldine#2438 · Gail#8362 · Gertrude#6546 · Georgia#99 · Gina#2076
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Geraldene? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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