Gerad
Derived from the Germanic element "ger" meaning spear, suggesting strength and bravery.
Name Census estimates that about 564 living Americans carry the first name Gerad. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gerad today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerad births was 1982 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerad. 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.
People living today
564
~ 1 in 607,720 Americans
Peak year
1982
35 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2013 SSA rank
#12,770
Tracked since 1952
Census
Gerad in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 734 people with the first name Gerad, which placed it at #15,622 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,622
National first-name rank
People counted
734
734 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerad
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gerad is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (9.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Gerad described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Gerad at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.4% · 539
- Black or African American10.1% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 67
- Two or more races4.8% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 6
Popularity
Gerad: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerad from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 255 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerad 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 Gerad during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gerads live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gerad
The name Gerad has its origins in the Germanic languages, tracing back to the Old High German name Gerard, which was derived from the elements "gair" meaning "spear" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy." The name essentially translates to "brave with a spear" or "hardy spearman."
This name gained prominence during the Middle Ages and was widely used across various European regions, particularly in areas with strong Germanic cultural influences. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval records and chronicles from the 8th century onwards.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Gerad was Gerard of Cremona (c. 1114-1187), an Italian scholar and translator who played a crucial role in the transmission of Arabic scientific knowledge to the Western world. His translations of works by Arabic scholars, including those of Avicenna and Ptolemy, significantly contributed to the development of science and mathematics in Europe during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent individual with the name Gerad was Gerard Mercator (1512-1594), a Flemish cartographer and geographer renowned for his innovative map projections, including the famous Mercator projection. His groundbreaking work in cartography revolutionized the art of mapmaking and had a lasting impact on navigation and exploration.
In the realm of religion, Saint Gerard Majella (1726-1755), an Italian Redemptorist lay brother, is revered for his devotion and miraculous healings. He is the patron saint of expectant mothers and is often invoked for safe childbirth.
The name Gerad also has a significant presence in literature, with Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844-1889), an English poet and Jesuit priest, widely regarded as one of the leading figures of the Victorian era's literary revival. His innovative use of language and unique poetic style left an indelible mark on English literature.
Finally, in the world of cinema, Gerard Depardieu (born 1948) is a renowned French actor who has appeared in numerous critically acclaimed films and has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious César Award for Best Actor.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Gerad, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry associated with this ancient Germanic name.
People
Gerad + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerad 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
Gerad: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerad?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 564 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerad 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 607,720 US residents.
Is Gerad a common name?
We classify Gerad as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 594 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerad most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerad was 1982, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerad is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gerad in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 734 people with the name Gerad, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,622 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Gerad in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Gerad?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gerad appears almost entirely male. Of the 731 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Gerad?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gerad is White at 73.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (9.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Gerad most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Gerad in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (539 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Gerad in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gerad a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerad 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.
Is Gerad still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gerad 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 Gerad 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.
How many people are called Gerad?
You can see how many Americans are named Gerad on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.