Gerell
A masculine given name possibly derived from the Old English name Gerald.
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the first name Gerell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gerell today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerell births was 1992 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerell. 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
132
~ 1 in 2,596,624 Americans
Peak year
1992
13 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2007 SSA rank
#8,421
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Gerell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerell from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 49 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Gerell remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerell 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 Gerell 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 Gerell
The given name Gerell has its origins in the Germanic languages, specifically from the Old Norse word "gerr" which means "spear." It was a popular name among the Vikings and Scandinavian cultures during the 8th to 11th centuries AD. The name was often associated with warrior-like qualities and bravery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gerell can be found in the Old Norse sagas, where it was mentioned as the name of a warrior who fought alongside the legendary Viking king, Ragnar Lodbrok, in the 9th century AD. The name was also found in runic inscriptions from that period, carved onto stones and artifacts.
In the Middle Ages, the name Gerell spread to other parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and the Netherlands, where it was spelled as "Gerel" or "Gerelle." During this time, the name was often associated with nobility and knighthood.
The earliest known historical figure with the name Gerell was Gerell von Alten, a German knight who lived in the 13th century and fought in the Crusades. Another notable figure was Gerell van Buren, a Dutch explorer who accompanied the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan on his journey around the world in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Gerell was found in England, where it was sometimes spelled as "Jerrell" or "Jarrell." One of the most famous individuals with this name was Gerell Whittington, an English merchant and entrepreneur who lived from 1667 to 1735 and was known for his philanthropic work.
Another significant figure was Gerell Williamson, an American Revolutionary War soldier who served under General George Washington and was present at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton in 1776-1777. He lived from 1752 to 1835.
In the 19th century, the name Gerell gained popularity in Scandinavia once again. One notable individual was Gerell Ibsen, a Norwegian playwright and poet who was the brother of the famous writer Henrik Ibsen. Gerell Ibsen lived from 1828 to 1909.
People
Gerell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerell 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
Gerell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 132 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerell 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 2,596,624 US residents.
Is Gerell a common name?
We classify Gerell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 136 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerell most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerell was 1992, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerell is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gerell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerell 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.