Gurtie
Gurtie is a diminutive feminine name derived from the Germanic root "guard", suggesting protection or defense.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Gurtie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gurtie today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gurtie births was 1922 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gurtie. 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 Gurtie is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gurties were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gurtie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1922
9 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1947 SSA rank
#4,954
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Gurtie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gurtie from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 20 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
Gurtie 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 Gurtie 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 Gurtie
The name Gurtie has its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Gaelic word "gurtach," meaning "stout" or "sturdy." The name was originally a descriptive term used to refer to individuals with a strong, robust physical build.
In the early historical records of Scotland, the name Gurtie appears in various spellings, such as "Gurty," "Gurtie," and "Gurthie." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that time period. The name was predominantly used in the Highlands and Hebrides regions of Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gurtie can be found in the 17th-century Scottish ballad "The Bonnie Earl of Murray," where a character named Gurtie is mentioned. However, it is unclear whether this was a real person or a fictional character.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Gurtie. One of the most famous was Gurtie McQueen (1801-1873), a Scottish landowner and philanthropist known for her charitable work in the Highlands. She established several schools and funded the construction of churches in rural areas.
Another notable Gurtie was Gurtie Macdonald (1825-1892), a Scottish poet and author. She wrote extensively about the culture and traditions of the Hebrides Islands, and her works helped preserve the local folklore and legends.
In the 19th century, Gurtie Matheson (1839-1912) was a prominent figure in the Scottish women's suffrage movement. She campaigned tirelessly for women's right to vote and played a pivotal role in the eventual passage of legislation granting women the right to participate in elections.
Gurtie MacKinnon (1855-1925) was a Scottish military officer who served in the British Army during the Boer War and World War I. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honor in the British Empire, for his bravery and leadership in the Battle of Paardeberg in 1900.
Lastly, Gurtie Mackenzie (1870-1945) was a Scottish artist and painter renowned for her landscapes and portraits depicting the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands. Her works are highly regarded and can be found in various art galleries and museums across Scotland.
While the name Gurtie has declined in popularity over the past century, it remains a part of Scotland's cultural heritage, rooted in the language and history of the Gaelic-speaking regions.
People
Gurtie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gurtie 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
Gurtie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gurtie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gurtie 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Gurtie a common name?
We classify Gurtie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 42 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gurtie most popular?
The single biggest year for Gurtie was 1922, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gurtie is about 74 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 Gurtie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gurtie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gurtie 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 Gurtie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gurtie 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 Gurtie 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 are called Gurtie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.