girls' name ★ peaked 1930

Geraldine

Meaning one of the Fitzgeralds Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,447 Trend ↓ Falling 15%

From Gerald +‎ -ine. c. 1540 by the Earl of Surrey as a poetic name for Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald, "one of the Fitzgeralds".

Rank 2025
#2,447
among girls · ↓443 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
73
named Geraldine · -26% vs 2024
How common
1 in 22,017
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1930
5,471 babies
All-time total
212,097
#188 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Geraldine popularity over time

212,097 babies have been named Geraldine since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 192 – 192 19 – #382
1890s 758 – 758 76 +295% #245
1900s 2,589 – 2,589 259 +242% #156
1910s 18,990 40 19,030 1,903 +635% #68
1920s 48,044 151 48,195 4,820 +153% #43
1930s 50,042 225 50,267 5,027 +4% #38
1940s 47,933 203 48,136 4,814 -4% #45
1950s 24,222 72 24,294 2,429 -50% #102
1960s 9,789 35 9,824 982 -60% #224
1970s 2,232 – 2,232 223 -77% #426
1980s 1,561 22 1,583 158 -29% #576
1990s 1,198 – 1,198 120 -24% #951
2000s 1,417 – 1,417 142 +18% #1,202
2010s 1,719 – 1,719 172 +21% #967
2020s (to 2025) 663 – 663 111 -36% #1,590

Where Geraldine is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 70 0.04 outside top 500
2027 68 0.04 outside top 500
2028 66 0.04 outside top 500
2029 64 0.04 outside top 500
2030 63 0.04 outside top 500

Where Geraldine is most popular

Girls named Geraldine per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.070 per 1,000. Strongest in California, Texas, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Geraldine born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
California 121 0.144 +107%
Texas 110 0.137 +96%
New York 32 0.081 +16%
Arizona 11 0.078 +13%
Utah 5 0.060 -14%
Colorado 5 0.045 -36%
North Carolina 10 0.044 -37%
Illinois 10 0.044 -37%
Georgia 9 0.040 -43%
Pennsylvania 7 0.030 -57%
Florida 12 0.028 -60%
Ohio 5 0.021 -70%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Geraldine

Geraldine is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,447 in 2025 with 73 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 212,097 American babies have been named Geraldine. Its peak came in 1930, when 5,471 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Geraldine stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Geraldine?

The median living Geraldine is about 77 years old; half are between 68 and 84. An estimated 83 thousand people named Geraldine are alive in the United States today.

median 77 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Geraldine year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 73 #2,447 – –
2024 98 #2,004 – –
2023 131 #1,599 – –
2022 131 #1,617 – –
2021 132 #1,590 – –
2020 98 #1,952 – –
2019 147 #1,490 – –
2018 121 #1,713 – –
2017 132 #1,637 – –
2016 140 #1,583 – –
2015 130 #1,648 – –
2014 158 #1,442 – –
2013 163 #1,406 – –
2012 254 #995 – –
2011 265 #967 – –
2010 209 #1,162 – –
2009 202 #1,231 – –
2008 165 #1,431 – –
2007 137 #1,625 – –
2006 144 #1,522 – –
2005 165 #1,331 – –
2004 186 #1,202 – –
2003 127 #1,529 – –
2002 92 #1,923 – –
2001 104 #1,730 – –
2000 95 #1,822 – –
1995 115 #1,421 – –
1990 198 #951 – –
1985 125 #1,143 – –
1980 109 #1,209 – –
1975 156 #859 – –
1970 517 #426 – –
1965 916 #291 – –
1960 1,430 #224 – –
1955 2,197 #162 12 #2,352
1950 3,451 #102 9 #2,649
1945 4,475 #56 15 #1,809
1940 5,150 #46 23 #1,416
1935 4,818 #40 23 #1,435
1930 5,448 #43 23 #1,546
1925 4,838 #54 14 #2,238
1920 4,265 #60 9 #3,057
1915 1,866 #108 6 #3,568
1910 551 #148 – –
1905 259 #190 – –
1900 145 #269 – –
1895 81 #320 – –
1890 27 #501 – –
1885 19 #491 – –
1880 7 #700 – –

Famous people named Geraldine

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Chaplin American-born actress (born 1944) Contemporary
  2. 2 Geraldine Page Geraldine Page American actress (1924–1987) Contemporary
  3. 3 Geraldine James English actress b. 1950 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Geraldine McEwan Geraldine McEwan English actress (1932–2015) Contemporary
  5. 5 Geraldine Ferraro Geraldine Ferraro American politician and diplomat (1935–2011) Contemporary
  6. 6 Geraldine Fitzgerald Geraldine Fitzgerald Irish actress (1913–2005) Contemporary
  7. 7 Geraldine Somerville Irish actress b. 1967 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Geraldine Brooks Geraldine Brooks Australian-American journalist and novelist (born 1955) Contemporary
  9. 9 Geraldine of Albania Geraldine of Albania Queen of the Albanians from 1938 to 1939 1915–2002 · Contemporary
  10. 10 Geraldine Farrar Geraldine Farrar American opera singer and actress (1882–1967) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Geraldine, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Geraldine?

The median living Geraldine is about 77 years old. Half of all living Geraldines are between 68 and 84 years old.

How many people named Geraldine are alive today?

An estimated 83 thousand people named Geraldine are alive in the United States, based on 212,097 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Geraldine mean?

From Gerald +‎ -ine. c. 1540 by the Earl of Surrey as a poetic name for Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald, "one of the Fitzgeralds".

How popular is the name Geraldine in 2025?

Geraldine ranked #2,447 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 73 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Geraldine?

212,097 babies have been named Geraldine in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Geraldine most popular?

Geraldine peaked in 1930, when 5,471 newborns received the name.

Is Geraldine a boy or girl name?

Geraldine is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Geraldine rising or falling?

Geraldine is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Geraldine become more popular?

Geraldine is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 63 girls named Geraldine in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Geraldine?

Well-known people named Geraldine include Geraldine Chaplin (actor), Geraldine Page (actor), Geraldine James (actor).

Names like Geraldine

Names that sound and feel close to Geraldine: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Geraldine with similar names → More names starting with G →