Gearldene
A feminine name with Old English origins, possibly meaning "valley of the deer".
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Gearldene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gearldene today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gearldene births was 1932 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gearldene. 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 Gearldene is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gearldenes were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gearldene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1932
11 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1955 SSA rank
#5,420
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Gearldene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gearldene from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 62 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gearldene 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 Gearldene 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 Gearldene
The name Gearldene has its linguistic origins deeply rooted in the Anglo-Saxon culture of medieval England. It is a compound name, formed by combining the Old English words "geard" (meaning "yard" or "enclosure") and "dene" (meaning "valley" or "deep wooded vale"). The name likely emerged during the 8th to 11th centuries, when Old English was the predominant language spoken in England.
Gearldene was a name primarily used in the rural areas of England, particularly in the regions where Anglo-Saxon settlements thrived. It carried the connotation of someone who lived in a secluded valley or a hamlet surrounded by protective enclosures. The name's connection to the natural landscape and agricultural life reflects the agrarian society of the time.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is believed to have been a relatively common name among the peasant and farming communities of Anglo-Saxon England. The earliest known recorded instances of the name date back to the late 10th century, found in various local parish records and land deeds.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gearldene. One such figure was Gearldene of Wessex (c. 976 - 1042), a skilled artisan and woodcarver renowned for his intricate works adorning churches and monasteries in the region. Another was Gearldene the Scribe (c. 1115 - 1187), a respected monk and calligrapher known for his beautiful illuminated manuscripts.
In the 13th century, Gearldene of Ely (c. 1210 - 1278) was a revered healer and herbalist, widely sought after for her knowledge of medicinal plants and remedies. Centuries later, during the English Civil War, Gearldene Cromwell (1599 - 1668), a distant cousin of Oliver Cromwell, gained recognition for her bravery and leadership in defending her family's estate from enemy forces.
Lastly, Gearldene Wordsworth (1770 - 1859), the sister of the renowned Romantic poet William Wordsworth, was a dedicated writer and diarist, whose vivid accounts of life in the Lake District provided invaluable insights into the literary circles of the time.
People
Gearldene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gearldene 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
Gearldene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gearldene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gearldene 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 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Gearldene a common name?
We classify Gearldene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 144 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gearldene most popular?
The single biggest year for Gearldene was 1932, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gearldene is about 82 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gearldene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gearldene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gearldene in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Gearldene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gearldene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gearldene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Gearldene?
Want to know how many people share the name Gearldene? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.