Gerrel
An English masculine name of uncertain meaning, possibly related to Gerald.
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Gerrel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gerrel today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerrel births was 1988 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerrel. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gerrel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
1988
6 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1994 SSA rank
#9,310
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Gerrel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerrel from the 1980s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 11 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerrel 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 Gerrel 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 Gerrel
The name Gerrel is believed to have its origins in the ancient Germanic language, traced back to the early medieval period around the 5th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Germanic root "ger" meaning "spear" or "lance," combined with the suffix "-el," which was a common diminutive ending in Germanic names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Lex Salica, a legal code compiled by the Salian Franks in the 6th century AD. It mentions an individual named "Gerrelus" who was involved in a property dispute. This suggests that the name was in use among the Frankish tribes during this era.
In the 9th century, a Benedictine monk named Gerrel of Auxerre became known for his contributions to the field of theology and his commentary on the Book of Psalms. He lived and worked in the Abbey of Saint-Germain in Auxerre, France, and his writings were widely studied and referenced by scholars of the time.
During the 11th century, a German nobleman named Gerrel von Regensburg was a prominent figure in the court of Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire. He served as a trusted advisor and diplomat, and his name appears in several chronicles and historical records from that period.
In the 13th century, a French troubadour and poet named Gerrel de Vienne gained recognition for his love songs and lyrical compositions. His works were widely circulated and performed throughout the courts of southern France and northern Italy.
Another notable figure was Gerrel von Cologne, a German architect and master builder who lived in the 15th century. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable churches and cathedrals in the Rhineland region, including the stunning St. Aposteln Church in Cologne.
Throughout history, the name Gerrel has been relatively uncommon, but it has retained its connections to its Germanic roots and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, noblemen, artists, and builders.
People
Gerrel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerrel 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
Gerrel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerrel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerrel 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 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Gerrel a common name?
We classify Gerrel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerrel most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerrel was 1988, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerrel is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Gerrel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gerrel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerrel 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 Gerrel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gerrel 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 Gerrel 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Gerrel?
See how many people share the name Gerrel on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.