Geral
Dated form of the name Gerald, meaning "ruler with the spear".
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the first name Geral. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 60.2% of registrations being male. The average person named Geral today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Geral births was 1951 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Geral. 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 Geral is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gerals were born before 1965.
People living today
162
~ 1 in 2,115,768 Americans
Peak year
1951
19 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1990 SSA rank
#6,676
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Geral
Geral is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 372 total registrations, 224 (60.2%) were male and 148 (39.8%) were female.
Geral as a male name
- Ranked #6,676 in 1990
- 7 male births in 1990
- Peak: 1947 (10 births)
Geral as a female name
- Ranked #6,907 in 1961
- 5 female births in 1961
- Peak: 1951 (12 births)
Popularity
Geral: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Geral from the 1910s through to the 1990s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 103 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
Geral 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 Geral 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 Geral
The name Geral has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly in the Czech and Slovak tongues. It is believed to have emerged in the 9th century CE during the era of the Great Moravian Empire, which encompassed parts of modern-day Czech Republic, Slovakia, and neighboring regions. The name is derived from the Slavic root "ger," meaning "battle" or "warrior," suggesting a connection to the martial culture of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Geral can be found in the Chronica Bohemorum, a 12th-century chronicle documenting the history of Bohemia. It mentions a Bohemian nobleman named Geral who participated in the Prussian Crusade, a series of military campaigns organized by the Teutonic Knights against the pagan Prussians in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, a Franciscan friar named Geral of Katscher gained prominence for his scholarly works and contributions to education in the region. He established several schools and wrote treatises on philosophy and theology, leaving a lasting impact on the intellectual landscape of his time.
During the Renaissance period, Geral Sokolovsky, a renowned painter from Prague, gained recognition for his intricate portraits and religious works. His masterpiece, "The Adoration of the Magi," commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor in the late 15th century, is a testament to his artistic prowess.
In the realm of literature, Geral Zelenka, a Czech poet and playwright of the 17th century, left an indelible mark with his lyrical works and satirical plays that commented on the social and political climate of the era. His play "The Mock Wedding" remains a celebrated piece of Czech theater to this day.
Another notable figure bearing the name Geral was Geral Dohnal, a Czechoslovak politician and diplomat who played a crucial role in the country's foreign relations during the turbulent years following World War II. He served as the ambassador to the United States from 1945 to 1948 and advocated for Czechoslovakia's sovereignty amidst the tensions of the Cold War era.
While the name Geral has its roots in the Slavic cultures of Central Europe, it has since spread and found usage across various regions and ethnicities, though its historical significance remains deeply intertwined with the rich cultural tapestry of the Czech and Slovak peoples.
People
Geral + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Geral 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
Geral: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Geral?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 162 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Geral 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 2,115,768 US residents.
Is Geral a common name?
We classify Geral as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 372 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Geral most popular?
The single biggest year for Geral was 1951, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Geral is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Geral a male name?
Yes, 60.2% of people registered as Geral 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.