Gertis
Feminine name with unknown origin, possibly derived from Gertrude.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Gertis. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 82.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Gertis today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gertis births was 1925 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gertis. 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 Gertis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1925
10 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#4,481
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Gertis
Gertis leans heavily female at 82.1% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Gertis as a male name
- Ranked #4,481 in 1925
- 5 male births in 1925
- Peak: 1925 (5 births)
Gertis as a female name
- Ranked #4,499 in 1927
- 6 female births in 1927
- Peak: 1921 (7 births)
Popularity
Gertis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gertis from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 23 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
Gertis 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 Gertis 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 Gertis
The name Gertis is believed to have originated from the Germanic languages, specifically from the Proto-Germanic root *gaizaz, meaning "spear" or "javelin." This root is also found in the Old Norse name Geirr and the Old High German name Gēr.
The name Gertis likely emerged during the early medieval period, around the 5th to 8th centuries, when Germanic tribes were widespread across Western and Central Europe. It was particularly popular among the Franks, Saxons, and other Germanic peoples who settled in areas now part of modern-day Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gertis can be found in the Vita Sancti Lamberti, a 9th-century hagiography written by Stephanus, a monk from the Abbey of St. Trond in present-day Belgium. The text mentions a nobleman named Gertis who lived in the 7th century and played a role in the life of Saint Lambert of Maastricht.
In the 11th century, a Benedictine monk named Gertis of Reichenau (c. 980-1036) was known for his scholarly works, including a treatise on the calculation of Easter and a commentary on the Book of Revelation. He served as a teacher and librarian at the Abbey of Reichenau, located on an island in Lake Constance in present-day Germany.
Another notable historical figure was Gertis van Ysselstein (c. 1295-1366), a Dutch knight and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was a prominent figure in the conflicts between the County of Holland and the Duchy of Guelders in the 14th century.
In the 15th century, Gertis Petersen (c. 1435-1501) was a German merchant and member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns that dominated trade in Northern Europe.
The name Gertis also appeared in literary works, such as the 16th-century German epic poem "Das Narrenschiff" (The Ship of Fools) by Sebastian Brant, which mentioned a character named Gertis, possibly a satire of a foolish person or a reference to a real individual of the time.
While the name Gertis was more common in medieval and early modern times, particularly in Germanic-speaking regions, it has become relatively rare in modern usage. However, it remains a part of the historical record and provides insights into the naming traditions and cultural influences of past centuries.
People
Gertis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gertis 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
Gertis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gertis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gertis 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 - US residents.
Is Gertis a common name?
We classify Gertis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gertis most popular?
The single biggest year for Gertis was 1925, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gertis is about 0 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 Gertis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gertis a female name?
Yes, 82.1% of people registered as Gertis in the SSA data are female. 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 Gertis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gertis 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 Gertis 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 Gertis?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.