Gerard
Gerard was the 1713th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 95 babies. Its best year was 1954, when it ranked 177th; the most babies were born in 1956 (1,617). Over the last ten years it has moved down 627 places. More babies were named Gerard in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning "spear" + "strong" · Germanic, French
Say it juh-RARD /dʒəˈrɑrd/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,713 boys, down 257 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 95boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19561,617 babies
- Total since 1880
- 58,932babies recorded
What does the name Gerard mean?
Gerard is a Germanic name made of gēr, "spear", and hard, "hard, strong, brave". It came to England with the Normans and was borne by several medieval saints. DMNES notes that it was often confused with the similar names Gerald and Garret. In the US it was most common in the 1950s.
gēr (Old High German / Old Saxon, “spear”)hart (Old High German, “hard, strong”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Gerald, Gerhard, Gerardo, Gerry, Garrett.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean strength, names that mean warrior.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Gerard', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Gerard', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Gerard', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Gerard
The usual nicknames for Gerard are Gerry and Jerry. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Gerard in the last five years, 259 were named Jerry, against 820 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerry · also for Gerardo, Gerald, Geraldine | Traditional | #9,186 | 42 |
| Jerry · also for Jeremias, Jeremiah, Jeremy | Traditional | #907 | 1,523 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Gerards go by each one.
Gerard popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 112 since 1913.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,713 | 95 |
| 2020 | #1,456 | 119 |
| 2010 | #1,253 | 140 |
| 2000 | #824 | 194 |
| 1990 | #527 | 350 |
| 1980 | #453 | 342 |
| 1970 | #346 | 547 |
| 1960 | #205 | 1,397 |
| 1950 | #191 | 1,160 |
| 1940 | #224 | 553 |
| 1930 | #215 | 601 |
| 1920 | #275 | 408 |
| 1910 | #366 | 49 |
| 1900 | #806 | 11 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Gerard, counting every spelling?
Gerard is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #1,546 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,713 for Gerard on its own. Together these spellings went to 101 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerard | 95 | #1,713 | 589 |
| Gerrard | 6 | #11,127 | 25 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Gerard?
95 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Gerard (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Gerard born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 88 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Gerard.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Gerard?
About 33,700 people born in the US named Gerard are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 45 and 71. That makes Gerard a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Gerard by state
How common Gerard was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (3.2×), New York (2.0×), Florida (1.5×). In 37 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Gerard: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Gerard, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Gerard · Sibling names for Gerard
Questions about the name Gerard
What does Gerard mean?
Gerard means “"spear" + "strong"” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Gerard?
Gerard was the 1713th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 95 babies. Its best year was 1954, when it ranked 177th; the most babies were born in 1956 (1,617). Over the last ten years it has moved down 627 places. More babies were named Gerard in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Gerard a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Gerard in the US.
Where is Gerard most popular?
In 2021–2025, Gerard was most common in New Jersey (0.22 per 1,000 boys), followed by New York and Massachusetts.