Jeroldine
A feminine variant of the English masculine name Gerald meaning "ruler with the spear".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Jeroldine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Jeroldine today is around 85 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Jeroldine births was 1940 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Jeroldine. 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 Jeroldine is about 85 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Jeroldines were born before 1951.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Jeroldine. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
1940
9 babies that year
Average age
85
years old
1946 SSA rank
#5,283
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Jeroldine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Jeroldine from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 22 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Jeroldine 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 Jeroldine 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 Jeroldine
The name Jeroldine is a diminutive form of the masculine name Jerold, which in turn is derived from the Germanic elements "ger" meaning "spear" and "wald" meaning "rule" or "power." It has its roots in the Old English and Old Germanic languages, originating in the early medieval period around the 5th to 10th centuries.
While the exact origin of the name Jeroldine is unclear, it is believed to have emerged as a feminine variant of Jerold in regions where Germanic languages were spoken, such as England, Germany, and the Low Countries. The addition of the suffix "-ine" transformed the masculine name into a feminine form, a common practice in naming traditions across various cultures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jeroldine can be found in the Middle English literature of the 14th century, where it appears as a character name in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. However, its usage was likely much more widespread among the common people of the time, as written records often favored the names of the nobility and literary figures.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jeroldine. One such figure was Jeroldine Hallam (1912-1994), an American actress and dancer who appeared in several Broadway musicals and Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. Another was Jeroldine Ezra (1920-2014), a British writer and historian known for her works on the history of London and the lives of notable women in British history.
In the realm of music, Jeroldine Branham (1917-2003) was an American gospel singer and songwriter who performed with various gospel groups and released several albums throughout her career. Additionally, Jeroldine Edmondson (1940-2017) was an American opera singer and voice teacher who performed extensively in the United States and Europe.
One particularly notable figure was Jeroldine Humphrey (1917-2009), an American chemist and nuclear physicist who made significant contributions to the Manhattan Project during World War II. She was one of the few women involved in the development of the atomic bomb and later became an advocate for nuclear disarmament and peace.
While the name Jeroldine has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of names derived from Germanic roots, carrying with it a sense of strength and historical significance.
People
Jeroldine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Jeroldine 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
Jeroldine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Jeroldine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Jeroldine 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Jeroldine a common name?
We classify Jeroldine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% 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 Jeroldine most popular?
The single biggest year for Jeroldine was 1940, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Jeroldine 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 Jeroldine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Jeroldine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Jeroldine 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 Jeroldine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Jeroldine 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 Jeroldine 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 Jeroldine?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.