Garald
Masculine Medieval name derived from Germanic elements meaning "spear" and "rule".
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the first name Garald. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Garald today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Garald births was 1949 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Garald. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Garald is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Garalds were born before 1963.
People living today
233
~ 1 in 1,471,049 Americans
Peak year
1949
25 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1982 SSA rank
#5,894
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Garald: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Garald from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 138 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Garald by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Garald during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Garald
The name Garald is of Germanic origin, derived from the Old German words "ger" meaning "spear" and "wald" meaning "ruler" or "wielder." This combination suggests the meaning of "spear ruler" or "one who wields a spear." The name dates back to the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries, when the Germanic tribes were prominent in various regions of Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garald can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 8th century. It mentions a Frankish nobleman named Garald who was a vassal of Charlemagne, the renowned king of the Franks and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.
In the 9th century, a Garald is mentioned in the Annals of Fulda, a historical chronicle written by monks in the Benedictine monastery of Fulda in present-day Germany. This Garald was a count who participated in military campaigns against the Slavic tribes in the region.
During the Viking Age, the name Garald was popular among the Scandinavian peoples, particularly the Norwegians and Swedes. One notable bearer of this name was Garald Fairhair, a semi-legendary Norwegian king who ruled in the 9th century and is credited with unifying the petty kingdoms of Norway into a single realm.
In the later Middle Ages, the name Garald found its way into various European royal families. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Garald VI, Count of Holstein, who lived from 1238 to 1304 and was a prominent figure in the political affairs of northern Germany during his time.
Another notable Garald in history was Garald FitzGerald, an Anglo-Norman nobleman who lived in the 12th century and played a significant role in the Norman invasion of Ireland. He was a close ally of King Henry II of England and was granted extensive lands in Ireland for his services.
While the name Garald has waned in popularity in modern times, it continues to be used occasionally, particularly in certain regions with a strong Germanic cultural heritage. However, its long and fascinating history serves as a testament to the enduring legacy of names and their ability to reflect the rich tapestry of cultures and civilizations that have shaped our world.
People
Garald + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Garald as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Garald: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Garald?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 233 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Garald going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,471,049 US residents.
Is Garald a common name?
We classify Garald as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 480 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Garald most popular?
The single biggest year for Garald was 1949, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Garald is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Garald a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Garald in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.