Gerson
A German diminutive variant of Gerard, meaning "brave spear".
Name Census estimates that about 3,819 living Americans carry the first name Gerson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gerson today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerson births was 2008 (145 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerson. 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
3.8K
~ 1 in 89,750 Americans
Peak year
2008
145 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,835
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Gerson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerson from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,221 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Gerson remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerson 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 Gerson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Gersons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Gerson, while Washington, Louisiana, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 154 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gerson
The name Gerson is a Germanic name with origins dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "ger," meaning spear, and "sun," meaning son or warrior, effectively translating to "son of the spear" or "spearman."
This name's earliest known references can be found in medieval records and documents from regions like present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It was a popular name among the nobility and warrior class during the Middle Ages, reflecting its martial connotations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this name was Gerson of Rheims, a French scholar, theologian, and philosopher who lived from 1363 to 1429. He played a significant role in the resolution of the Western Schism, a period of ecclesiastical division within the Catholic Church.
Another notable figure was Gerson Blumental, a German Protestant theologian born in 1519. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and an influential writer on religious matters during the 16th century.
In the realm of literature, Gerson da Cunha was a renowned Indian author and journalist who lived from 1900 to 1976. He made significant contributions to Marathi literature and was honored with several prestigious awards.
The name also found its way into the world of sports, with Gerson de Oliveira Nunes, a Brazilian footballer born in 1942. He was a part of the legendary Brazilian team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup and is considered one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the sport.
Another individual of note was Gerson Goldhagen, a Polish-born American composer and music educator who lived from 1924 to 2001. He made significant contributions to the field of music theory and composition, and his works were performed by renowned orchestras and ensembles.
While the name Gerson may not be as common today as it once was, its historical significance and rich heritage have ensured its place in the annals of various cultures and disciplines throughout the centuries.
People
Gerson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerson 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
Gerson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,819 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerson 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 89,750 US residents.
Is Gerson a common name?
We classify Gerson as "Rare". It ranks above 95.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,214 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerson most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerson was 2008, when 145 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerson is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Gerson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerson 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.