Gurtrude
A feminine name, possibly derived from the Germanic elements "gar" (spear) and "thrud" (strength).
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Gurtrude. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Gurtrude today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gurtrude births was 1919 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gurtrude. 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 Gurtrude is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gurtrudes were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gurtrude. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1919
8 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1927 SSA rank
#3,685
Tracked since 1890
Popularity
Gurtrude: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gurtrude from the 1890s through to the 1920s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 27 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Gurtrude remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gurtrude 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 Gurtrude 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 Gurtrude
The given name Gurtrude is a relatively obscure one, with its origins traced back to the ancient Germanic tribes that inhabited the regions of modern-day central and northern Europe during the early medieval period. Linguistic scholars suggest that the name may have its roots in the Proto-Germanic words "gurth" meaning "enclosure" or "protection" and "trude" which translates to "strength" or "power."
While the exact etymology remains uncertain, some historians theorize that Gurtrude could have been a name given to children born within the safety of fortified settlements or to those who displayed exceptional physical prowess from a young age. However, there is a dearth of concrete historical records or ancient texts that explicitly mention the name Gurtrude or its variants.
The earliest known instance of the name's usage can be traced back to the 9th century, when a noblewoman named Gurtrude of Saxony was mentioned in the annals of the Carolingian Empire. Born in 815 AD, she was the daughter of Count Liudolf of Saxony and is believed to have played a pivotal role in the family's political and military affairs during the turbulent era of Viking raids and internal conflicts.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Gurtrude von Habsburg, a 13th-century Austrian noblewoman born in 1226. She was a descendant of the powerful Habsburg dynasty and is recorded as having been a prominent landowner and patron of the arts during her lifetime.
In the 15th century, a Benedictine nun named Gurtrude of Helfta (1292-1348) gained recognition for her mystical writings and visions, which were widely studied and revered within monastic circles of the time.
During the Renaissance period, a lesser-known figure named Gurtrude Caravaggio (1495-1570) was an Italian painter and illustrator who produced a number of religious artworks and frescoes, though her works have largely been overshadowed by those of her more famous contemporaries.
Lastly, in the 19th century, Gurtrude Stein (1874-1946) was an American novelist, poet, and art collector who played a significant role in the development of modernist literature and was a prominent figure in the Parisian avant-garde circles of the early 20th century.
While the name Gurtrude may have fallen out of widespread use in recent times, its historical roots and occasional appearances throughout various eras serve as a testament to its enduring, albeit obscure, presence in the annals of human history.
People
Gurtrude + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gurtrude 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
Gurtrude: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gurtrude?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gurtrude 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 Gurtrude a common name?
We classify Gurtrude 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, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gurtrude most popular?
The single biggest year for Gurtrude was 1919, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gurtrude is about 68 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 Gurtrude in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gurtrude a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gurtrude 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 Gurtrude still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gurtrude 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 Gurtrude 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 named Gurtrude?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.