Gerturde
A Germanic feminine name derived from Old Norse meaning "spear maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Gerturde. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gerturde today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerturde births was 1926 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerturde. 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
- • The typical person named Gerturde is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gerturdes were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gerturde. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1926
13 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1954 SSA rank
#4,842
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Gerturde: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerturde from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 52 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerturde 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 Gerturde 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 Gerturde
The name Gerturde originates from the Germanic languages, derived from the Old German words "ger" meaning "spear" and "trude" meaning "strength" or "force." It emerged as a popular name during the Middle Ages in various parts of Europe, particularly in regions with Germanic cultural influence.
The earliest recorded use of the name Gerturde can be traced back to the 9th century. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Gerturde of Nivelles, a 7th-century Frankish abbess and saint, who founded several monasteries in present-day Belgium.
Throughout history, several notable figures bore the name Gerturde. One prominent example is Gerturde of Saxony, born in 1030, who was the Duchess of Lorraine and a key figure in the conflicts between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy during the 11th century.
Another well-known Gerturde was Gerturde the Great, born in 1115, who ruled as the Margravine of Brandenburg from 1142 to 1153 and played a significant role in the expansion and consolidation of Brandenburg's territory.
In the literary realm, Gerturde von le Fort, born in 1876, was a renowned German writer and poet, best known for her novels exploring religious themes and human spirituality.
Gerturde Bell, born in 1868, was a British writer, archaeologist, and political officer, who played a crucial role in the establishment of modern Iraq after World War I and was instrumental in shaping the country's borders and governance.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Gerturde, highlighting its Germanic roots and its presence across various regions and eras, from religious figures and nobility to writers and scholars.
People
Gerturde + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerturde 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
Gerturde: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerturde?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerturde 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Gerturde a common name?
We classify Gerturde as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 127 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerturde most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerturde was 1926, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerturde is about 85 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 Gerturde in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gerturde a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerturde 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 Gerturde still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gerturde 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 Gerturde 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 many people have Gerturde as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.