boys' name ★ peaked 1956

Gerard

Meaning spear Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,713 Trend → Stable

From Middle English Gerard, from Old French Gerart, from Frankish *Gaiʀahard, from *gaiʀ (“spear”) +‎ *hard(ī) (“hard, brave”).

Rank 2025
#1,713
among boys · ↓179 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
95
named Gerard · -17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,980
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1956
1,617 babies
All-time total
58,932
#453 all-time among boys
First recorded
1886
in Social Security records

Gerard popularity over time

58,932 babies have been named Gerard since 1886, 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 14 14 1 – #692
1890s – 61 61 6 +336% #566
1900s – 214 214 21 +251% #392
1910s 5 2,676 2,681 268 +1153% #248
1920s 12 5,490 5,502 550 +105% #212
1930s 10 5,303 5,313 531 -3% #215
1940s 10 8,128 8,138 814 +53% #193
1950s 19 14,216 14,235 1,424 +75% #177
1960s 24 9,337 9,361 936 -34% #205
1970s 18 4,013 4,031 403 -57% #346
1980s 14 3,303 3,317 332 -18% #441
1990s – 2,383 2,383 238 -28% #527
2000s – 1,340 1,340 134 -44% #824
2010s – 1,634 1,634 163 +22% #1,013
2020s (to 2025) – 708 708 118 -28% #1,409

Where Gerard is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 93 0.05 outside top 500
2027 91 0.05 outside top 500
2028 90 0.05 outside top 500
2029 88 0.05 outside top 500
2030 87 0.05 outside top 500

Where Gerard is most popular

Boys named Gerard per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.068 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Gerard 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 44 0.219 +220%
New York 58 0.134 +96%
Massachusetts 16 0.116 +71%
Florida 49 0.103 +52%
Texas 62 0.070 ≈ national
Maryland 6 0.050 -26%
Pennsylvania 13 0.049 -28%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -28%
California 39 0.043 -37%
Virginia 6 0.032 -54%
Michigan 5 0.024 -64%
Georgia 5 0.020 -71%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -71%
Ohio 5 0.019 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
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 Gerard

Gerard is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,713 in 2025 with 95 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1886, 58,932 American babies have been named Gerard. Its peak came in 1956, when 1,617 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

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 Gerard stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Gerard?

The median living Gerard is about 63 years old; half are between 45 and 71. An estimated 36 thousand people named Gerard are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

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

Gerard 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 – – 95 #1,713
2024 – – 115 #1,534
2023 – – 130 #1,409
2022 – – 128 #1,428
2021 – – 121 #1,483
2020 – – 119 #1,456
2019 – – 116 #1,480
2018 – – 149 #1,241
2017 – – 161 #1,166
2016 – – 160 #1,186
2015 – – 180 #1,086
2014 – – 202 #1,013
2013 – – 183 #1,049
2012 – – 171 #1,091
2011 – – 172 #1,084
2010 – – 140 #1,253
2009 – – 130 #1,335
2008 – – 126 #1,357
2007 – – 100 #1,568
2006 – – 117 #1,377
2005 – – 113 #1,336
2004 – – 124 #1,225
2003 – – 134 #1,132
2002 – – 156 #999
2001 – – 146 #1,017
2000 – – 194 #824
1995 – – 213 #736
1990 – – 350 #527
1985 – – 343 #468
1980 – – 342 #453
1975 – – 399 #392
1970 – – 547 #346
1965 5 #6,857 827 #256
1960 – – 1,397 #205
1955 5 #6,161 1,521 #179
1950 – – 1,160 #191
1945 – – 681 #210
1940 – – 553 #224
1935 – – 525 #225
1930 5 #4,811 601 #215
1925 – – 554 #236
1920 – – 408 #275
1915 – – 323 #272
1910 – – 49 #366
1905 – – 25 #435
1900 – – 11 #806
1895 – – 14 #566
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Gerard

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

  1. 1 Gerard Piqué Gerard Piqué Spanish footballer (born 1987) Contemporary
  2. 2 Gerard Butler Gerard Butler Scottish actor and film producer (born 1969) Contemporary
  3. 3 Gerard Way Gerard Way American singer (born 1977) Contemporary
  4. 4 Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins English poet and Catholic priest (1844–1889) 19th century
  5. 5 Gerard Majella Gerard Majella Italian Roman Catholic saint 1726–1755 · 18th century
  6. 6 Gerard Damiano American film director (1928–2008) Contemporary
  7. 7 Gerard 't Hooft Gerard 't Hooft Dutch theoretical physicist b. 1946 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Gerard López Gerard López Spanish footballer and manager b. 1979 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Gerard Kuiper Gerard Kuiper Dutch astronomer (1905–1973) Contemporary
  10. 10 Gerard van Honthorst Gerard van Honthorst Dutch painter (1592–1656) 16th century
  11. 11 Gerard of Cremona Gerard of Cremona Italian translator and astrologer (c. 1114–1187) Medieval
  12. 12 Gerard K. O'Neill Gerard K. O'Neill American physicist, author, and inventor (1927–1992) Contemporary
  13. 13 Gerard de Lairesse Gerard de Lairesse Dutch painter (1641–1711) 1640–1711 · 17th century
  14. 14 Gerard David Gerard David Early Netherlandish painter (c. 1460–1523) 1450–1523 · Medieval
  15. 15 Gerard Reve Gerard Reve Dutch writer (1923–2006) Contemporary
  16. 16 Gerard Gumbau Gerard Gumbau Spanish footballer (born 1994) Contemporary
  17. 17 Gerard de Ridefort Gerard de Ridefort Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1184 to 1189 1141–1189 · Medieval
  18. 18 Gerard ter Borch Gerard ter Borch Dutch Golden Age painter (1617–1681) 17th century
  19. 19 Gerard of Csanád Gerard of Csanád Italian Catholic saint (died 1046) 980–1046 · Medieval
  20. 20 Gerard van Swieten Gerard van Swieten Dutch physician (1700–1772) 17th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Gerard?

The median living Gerard is about 63 years old. Half of all living Gerards are between 45 and 71 years old.

How many people named Gerard are alive today?

An estimated 36 thousand people named Gerard are alive in the United States, based on 58,932 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Gerard mean?

From Middle English Gerard, from Old French Gerart, from Frankish *Gaiʀahard, from *gaiʀ (“spear”) +‎ *hard(ī) (“hard, brave”).

How popular is the name Gerard in 2025?

Gerard ranked #1,713 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 95 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Gerard?

58,932 babies have been named Gerard in the United States since 1886, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Gerard most popular?

Gerard peaked in 1956, when 1,617 newborns received the name.

Is Gerard a boy or girl name?

Gerard is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Gerard rising or falling?

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

Will Gerard become more popular?

Gerard is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 87 boys named Gerard 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 Gerard?

Well-known people named Gerard include Gerard Piqué (soccer player), Gerard Butler (actor), Gerard Way (singer).

Names like Gerard

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

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