Girtrue
Meaning "girl true" or "true maiden" from the English words.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Girtrue. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Girtrue today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Girtrue births was 1919 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Girtrue. 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 Girtrue is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Girtrues were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Girtrue. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1919
7 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,599
Tracked since 1902
Popularity
Girtrue: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Girtrue from the 1900s through to the 1930s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 21 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
Girtrue 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 Girtrue 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 Girtrue
The name Girtrue has its origins in the ancient Frisian language, spoken by the Frisian people who inhabited the coastal regions of the Netherlands and Germany during the early medieval period. The name is derived from the Old Frisian words "gir" meaning "spear" and "trou" meaning "faithful" or "loyal". Together, the name can be interpreted as "one who is faithful with the spear" or "loyal spearman".
In the early 8th century, the Frisian people were among the last pagan tribes in Western Europe to convert to Christianity. During this time, many Frisians adopted Christian names, and it is believed that Girtrue emerged as a name that combined the warrior culture of the Frisian people with their newfound Christian faith.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Girtrue dates back to the year 821 AD, when a Frisian nobleman named Girtrue Aldricsun was mentioned in a legal document pertaining to a land dispute in the region of East Frisia. This document is currently preserved in the archives of the city of Emden.
In the 11th century, a Frisian monk named Girtrue of Utrecht gained recognition for his contributions to the illumination of manuscripts and the preservation of ancient texts. His work can be found in the libraries of several monasteries throughout the Low Countries.
During the 13th century, a Frisian warrior named Girtrue Haithamar became renowned for his bravery in the battles against the expansionist forces of the Teutonic Knights. He was celebrated in several Frisian folk tales and ballads of the time.
In the 15th century, Girtrue van Leeuwarden was a prominent merchant and trader who played a significant role in the establishment of the Hanseatic League's trade routes between the Netherlands and the Baltic region.
Lastly, in the 17th century, Girtrue Simonszoon was a Frisian sea captain who gained notoriety for his daring exploits in the Dutch East Indies. His adventures were documented in several maritime journals and travel narratives of the time.
People
Girtrue + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Girtrue 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
Girtrue: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Girtrue?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Girtrue 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Girtrue a common name?
We classify Girtrue as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Girtrue most popular?
The single biggest year for Girtrue was 1919, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Girtrue is about 83 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 Girtrue in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Girtrue a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Girtrue 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 Girtrue still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Girtrue 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 Girtrue 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 Girtrue?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.