The name Geraldine is a feminine form of the masculine name Gerald, which is derived from the Germanic elements ger meaning "spear" and wald meaning "rule". It is believed to have originated in the medieval English regions during the 12th century.

The name Geraldine was popularized in England and France during the Middle Ages, where it was often used among nobility and aristocratic families. It is thought to have been influenced by the Old French name Geraud, which shared a similar linguistic root.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Geraldine can be found in the 13th century romance poem "Roman de la Rose" by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, where a character named Geraldine is mentioned.

Geraldine is also the name of a character in Edmund Spenser's epic poem "The Faerie Queene", published in 1590. This literary work helped to further popularize the name during the Renaissance period.

In the 16th century, Geraldine Disires (c. 1535 - c. 1570) was a French poet and author, known for her work "La Guerre des Masles contre les Femelles" (The War of the Males against the Females).

Another notable historical figure was Geraldine Jewsbury (1812 - 1880), an English novelist and literary critic who was a close friend of the Brontë sisters.

During the early 20th century, Geraldine Farrar (1882 - 1967) was an American operatic soprano who performed leading roles with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

Geraldine Brooks (born 1955) is an Australian-American novelist and journalist, best known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "March" in 2006.

Geraldine Ferraro (1935 - 2011) was an American politician and lawyer who made history in 1984 as the first female vice-presidential candidate representing a major political party in the United States.