Trudy
Trudy was the 5225th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 25 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 238th; the most babies were born in 1947 (975). Over the last ten years it has moved up 592 places. More babies were named Trudy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Gertrude · English, Germanic
Say it TROO-dee /ˈtrudi/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,225 girls, up 840 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 25girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1947975 babies
- Total since 1880
- 25,628babies recorded
What does the name Trudy mean?
Trudy is a pet form of Gertrude (and of Dutch Geertruida). Gertrude is a Germanic name made of gēr, "spear", and a second element that DMNES glosses either as "strength" or as "maiden". Saint Gertrude of Nivelles (7th century) made it popular in the Low Countries. Trudy was most common in the US in the 1940s and 1950s.
gēr (Old High German, “spear”)*þrūþ (Proto-Germanic, “strength (or maiden)”)
How sure is this? Well established. The second element of Gertrude is glossed two ways.
Related names: Gertrude, Trudie, Gertie.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean warrior.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Trudy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Gertrude', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Trudy', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Trudy popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 1946.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,225 | 25 |
| 2020 | #6,065 | 20 |
| 2010 | #6,886 | 19 |
| 2000 | #4,780 | 25 |
| 1990 | #3,221 | 35 |
| 1980 | #1,175 | 115 |
| 1970 | #538 | 353 |
| 1960 | #363 | 719 |
| 1950 | #244 | 937 |
| 1940 | #535 | 164 |
| 1930 | #992 | 56 |
| 1920 | #1,542 | 29 |
| 1910 | #1,165 | 16 |
| 1900 | #1,419 | 9 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Trudy, counting every spelling?
Trudy is the most common spelling of a name family that had 25 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 25 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trudy | 25 | #5,225 | 134 |
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 Trudy?
25 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Trudy (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Trudy 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 337 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Trudy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Trudy?
About 19,100 people born in the US named Trudy are alive today, with a median age of 68; half are between 60 and 75. That makes Trudy 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.
Trudy by state
How common Trudy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls 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 Trudy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Trudy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Trudy · Sibling names for Trudy
Trudy is also a nickname for Gertrude.
Questions about the name Trudy
What does Trudy mean?
Trudy means “pet form of Gertrude” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Trudy?
Trudy was the 5225th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 25 babies. Its best year was 1946, when it ranked 238th; the most babies were born in 1947 (975). Over the last ten years it has moved up 592 places. More babies were named Trudy in the 1950s than in any other decade.
Is Trudy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Trudy in the US.
Where is Trudy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Trudy was most common in California (0.01 per 1,000 girls).