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Gerald

Gerald is a boy's name of French origin meaning “spear and might, power.” In 2024 it was given to 178 boys in the United States.

Gerald at a glance

Gender
Boy name
Origin
French
Meaning
“spear and might, power”
Pronunciation
/ˈd͡ʒɛɹəld/
Also spelled
Germanic

About the name Gerald

Gerald belongs to the French tradition. Its meaning — “spear and might, power” — is the sense carried by its French roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page. It travels in a few spellings: Germanic.

In the United States, Gerald first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #19 in 1936, and in 2024 178 babies received the name — 448,793 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Gerald in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#19 in 1936
Peak year
1942
Babies named Gerald in 2024
178
Total since 1880
448,793

Spellings & short forms

Germanic

Similar names

More names from the French shelf:

CharlesFrenchAndrewFrenchJeffreyFrenchGaryFrenchJustinFrenchRaymondFrenchHenryFrenchPatrickFrench

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Gerald mean?

Gerald means “spear and might, power” in its French roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Gerald a boy or girl name?

Gerald is a boy name. In 2024, 178 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Gerald?

Gerald comes from the French tradition. It is also spelled Germanic.

How popular is the name Gerald?

Gerald first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #19 in 1936, and 178 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Gerald?

Gerald is pronounced /ˈd͡ʒɛɹəld/ (IPA).

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.