Gertrude
Feminine · “spear strength”
Gertrude is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 177,100 girls against 568 boys since 1880. See Gertrude as a boy name
Gertrude is an old Germanic name of spear and strength, carried by a queen in Hamlet and by some of the boldest women of the twentieth century. It was once among the most familiar girls' names in America, and it still sounds sturdy and unafraid.
How old is the name Gertrude?
Gertrude was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Gertrude alive today was born around 1916, making them about 109 years old. About 15,500 people named Gertrude are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Gertrude most popular?
Gertrude peaked in 1906, reaching #22 nationally. Today it ranks #6546, 6,524 places below that high. See the whole 1906 chart.
Where it comes from
From Gertrud to Gertrude
The story of Gertrude
Gertrude was a saint's name in the early Middle Ages and a queen's name in Hamlet, and it came to America with German and English families. Its modern bearers gave it a reputation for daring. Gertrude Ederle, a butcher's daughter from New York, became the first woman to swim the English Channel and beat the men's record, and the city gave her a ticker-tape parade. Gertrude Bell, an English traveler and archaeologist, helped draw the borders of modern Iraq and founded its national museum. The name is recorded for a few boys, but it is a woman's name everywhere.
Meaning
spear strength
From Germanic ger, spear, and trud, strength.
How the name formed
- Gertrud
- Gertrude
Related forms: Gertrud · Geertruida · Geltrude · Gertrudis
Pronouncing Gertrude
GUR-trood
Stress on the first syllable.
Nicknames for Gertrude
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
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19186,264 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #22reached in 1906
- Change vs 2022
- −46.9%17 in 2025, from 32
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.
Gertrude in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Gertrud in German — same name
- Geertruida in Dutch — same name
- Geltrude in Italian — same name
- Gertrudis in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California.
Gertrudes among us
people named Gertrude are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 94,545 born in 2025 was named Gertrude
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Gertrude sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Gertrude beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Gertrude in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It has a clear meaning and a long, documented history.
- Gertie, Trudy and Gert give three different short forms.
- It carries the example of several admired women.
- Many people hear it as old-fashioned and associate it with great-grandmothers.
- The short form Gertie has been used as a joke name in films and cartoons.
- A very few boys have been given it; for them it will read as a girl's name everywhere.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Gertrude to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Gertrude? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Gertrude
Feminine · #6546 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Gertrudes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 15,500 people named Gertrude are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Gertrude in 2025?
- Gertrude ranks #6546 among US girl names in 2025, with 17 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Gertrude?
- About 1 in every 94,545 US girls born in 2025 was named Gertrude — 17 in all.
- Will my child share the name Gertrude with classmates?
- Gertrude will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Gertrude
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Roseann#6546 · Solveig#6546 · Elona#6546 · Rosette#6546 · Bradie#6546 · Rida#6546 · Gwendalyn#6546 · Lorene#6546
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Gertrude? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Gertrude and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle