2000
#6,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Gerald
An Old Germanic name derived from the elements "ger" (spear) and "wald" (rule), indicating a spear ruler or mighty spearman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,558 Americans carry the last name Gerald. That puts it at #6,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,669 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerald surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gerald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.6K
1 in 61,669
Census rank
#6,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,847 bearers of the surname Gerald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerald, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (41.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerald
The surname Gerald originates from the medieval English and French forms of the Germanic name Gerard, which is derived from the elements "gair" meaning "spear" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy." The name is thought to have first emerged in Normandy, France, during the 11th century.
Gerald is considered a Norman surname, brought to England by the Norman Conquest in 1066. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. Examples of similar spellings from this period include Gerold, Geraud, and Geraldus.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Gerald was William FitzGerald, who lived in the late 12th century and was a prominent Anglo-Norman nobleman in Ireland. He was a direct descendant of Otho, an ancestor who accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066.
Another notable figure was Gerald of Wales, born around 1146, who was a medieval chronicler, ecclesiastic, and one of the most influential writers of his time. His works provide valuable insights into the medieval world and the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland.
In the 13th century, the surname Gerald was associated with places such as Geraldton in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and Geraldine in County Kilkenny, Ireland. These place names likely derived from the surname itself.
Sir Thomas Gerald, born in the late 15th century, was an English politician and military commander who served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire during the reign of Henry VIII.
Cardinal John Gerald, born in 1456 in Normandy, was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church and served as the Archbishop of York from 1501 until his death in 1521.
The surname Gerald has also been associated with various noble families throughout history, including the FitzGeralds of Ireland, the Gerards of Lancashire, and the Geraldines of Worcestershire, England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerald
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerald, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (41.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerald bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gerald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American47.9% · 2,322
- White41.3% · 2,003
- Two or more races4.5% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 202
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerald
Gerald appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,244
+250 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 195 places
2020
#6,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,847
-397 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 219 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,281 | 4,994 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,476 | 5,244 | 1.78 | +250 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 195 places |
| 2020 | #6,695 | 4,847 | 1.62 | -397 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 219 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gerald surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,476 | #6,695 | -3.4% |
| Count | 5,244 | 4,847 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.62 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerald bearers went from 5,244 to 4,847 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 219 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,476 to #6,695.
FAQ
Gerald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerald?
Name Census estimates that about 5,558 living Americans carry the surname Gerald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,669 residents.
How common is Gerald?
Gerald ranks #6,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,847 people with the surname Gerald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,558), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gerald.
Has Gerald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerald went from 5,244 recorded bearers to 4,847. That is a decrease of 397 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,476 to #6,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerald, the largest self-reported group is Black at 47.9%. The next largest groups are White (41.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gerald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.9% (2,322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (47.9%), White (41.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gerald (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gerald mean?
An Old Germanic name derived from the elements "ger" (spear) and "wald" (rule), indicating a spear ruler or mighty spearman. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gerald (1.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Gerald?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gerald? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.