Jarald
A masculine name derived from the Germanic elements "gair" (spear) and "waltan" (to rule).
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Jarald. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Jarald today is around 65 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jarald births was 1967 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jarald. 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 Jarald is about 65 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Jaralds were born before 1971.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jarald. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1967
5 babies that year
Average age
65
years old
1967 SSA rank
#4,234
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Jarald: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Jarald 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 Jarald during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Jarald
The name Jarald has its origins in the Old English language, tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England between the 5th and 11th centuries. It is a compound name, formed by combining the elements "gar" meaning "spear" and "wald" meaning "ruler" or "commander". This suggests that the name may have been given to brave warriors or leaders in battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jarald appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was in use among the Anglo-Saxon population of England before the Norman conquest in 1066.
In the Middle Ages, the name Jarald was occasionally found in various chronicles and records, though it was not particularly widespread. One notable bearer of the name was Jarald de Winslow, a 12th-century English nobleman who was a participant in the Second Crusade to the Holy Land in 1147-1149.
During the Renaissance period, the name experienced a slight resurgence in popularity, particularly in the form of the variant spelling "Gerald". One notable figure from this time was Sir Gerald de Rodes, a 16th-century English soldier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I.
In more recent centuries, the name has remained relatively uncommon, but there have been a few notable individuals named Jarald or Gerald. These include Gerald Durrell (1925-1995), a British naturalist and author known for his conservation efforts and his popular memoirs about his family's life on the Greek island of Corfu. Another famous bearer of the name was Gerald Ford (1913-2006), the 38th President of the United States, who served from 1974 to 1977 after taking over for the resigned Richard Nixon.
Other notable individuals named Jarald or Gerald throughout history include Gerald of Wales (c. 1146-1223), a medieval cleric and writer who chronicled the conquest of Ireland by the Normans; Gerald Finzi (1901-1956), an English composer known for his choral works and songs; and Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006), the 38th President of the United States who took office after the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.
People
Jarald + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jarald as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Jarald: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jarald?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jarald 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 Jarald a common name?
We classify Jarald 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Jarald most popular?
The single biggest year for Jarald was 1967, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jarald is about 65 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 Jarald in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jarald a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jarald in the SSA data are male. 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 Jarald still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jarald 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 Jarald 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 Jarald?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.