Gerome
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "venerable old man".
Name Census estimates that about 1,022 living Americans carry the first name Gerome. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gerome today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerome births was 1964 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerome. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 335,376 Americans
Peak year
1964
32 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,078
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Gerome: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerome from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 248 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerome 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 Gerome during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Geromes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. South Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois recorded the most babies named Gerome, while Ohio, Mississippi, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gerome
The name Gerome has its roots in the ancient Greek language. It is derived from the Greek word "geros," which means "old man" or "elder." The name was popular in ancient Greece and the surrounding regions during the Classical period, which spanned from the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gerome can be found in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC. He mentions a character named Gerome in his famous work, "The Histories." Additionally, the name appears in several ancient Greek texts and inscriptions from the period.
During the Middle Ages, the name Gerome gained popularity in various parts of Europe, particularly in France and Italy. It was often associated with the monastic orders and was commonly given to monks and clergy members. One notable figure from this period was Saint Jerome (347-420 AD), a Christian scholar and theologian who translated the Bible into Latin, a version known as the Vulgate.
In the Renaissance era, the name Gerome was embraced by artists and intellectuals. The Italian painter Gerome Savoldo (c. 1480-1548) was a prominent figure in the Venetian Renaissance. Another notable bearer of the name was the French artist Gerome Jean-Léon (1824-1904), known for his Orientalist paintings depicting scenes from the Middle East.
Throughout history, several other individuals have carried the name Gerome. One example is Gerome Triesault (1574-1655), a French playwright and poet who was a member of the Académie Française. Another is Gerome Conner (1875-1942), an American painter and illustrator known for his works depicting Native American life.
The name Gerome has also been used in various literary works. For instance, it appears as the name of a character in the novel "Silas Marner" by George Eliot, published in 1861. Additionally, Gerome is the name of a character in the play "The School for Scandal" by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, which premiered in 1777.
People
Gerome + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerome 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
Gerome: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerome?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,022 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerome 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 335,376 US residents.
Is Gerome a common name?
We classify Gerome as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,307 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerome most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerome was 1964, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerome is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gerome a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerome 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.