ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 1917 Peak Year #22 Peak Rank 177K Total Count 147 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Gertrude What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Gertrude is a feminine given name which is derived from Germanic roots that meant "spear" and "strength". "Trudy", originally a diminutive of "Gertrude", has developed into a name in its own right. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Gertrude Gertrude first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 787 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1917, when 6,300 Gertrudes were born — ranking #37 that year. As of 2026, Gertrude ranks #4,671 for baby girls with 29 births, holding steady (+2%). In total, more than 177K Gertrudes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Gertrude Phonetically similar names — useful when Gertrude is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Gertrud](/gertrud) * Gatorade * Girted * Girded * Guttered * Gartered * [Gertrudis](/gertrudis) * Grade * Greed * Grad * Greeted * Grated Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Gertrude What does the name Gertrude mean? Gertrude is a feminine given name which is derived from Germanic roots that meant "spear" and "strength". "Trudy", originally a diminutive of "Gertrude", has developed into a name in its own right. How popular is Gertrude in 2026? In 2026, Gertrude ranks #4,671 among girls' names in the U.S., with 29 babies given the name that year. When was Gertrude most popular? Gertrude reached its peak popularity in 1917, ranking #22 that year with 6,300 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Gertrude most popular? Gertrude has historically been most popular in Alaska, Vermont, New Hampshire. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Gertrude. Is Gertrude a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Gertrude is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Gertrude? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Gertrude include Nora, Ruby, Norma. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧NoraPeak #22](/nora)[👧RubyPeak #22](/ruby)[👧NormaPeak #22](/norma)[👧MorganPeak #22](/morgan)[👧RileyPeak #22](/riley)[👧DestinyPeak #22](/destiny)[👧JosephinePeak #21](/josephine)[👧ElliePeak #21](/ellie) ## About the name Gertrude Gertrude is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 177K births in the dataset. Gertrude's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #22\. Use the chart and map above to compare Gertrude's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1917 → ](/year/1917) * [ Names of the 1910s → ](/decade/1910s) * [ Names starting with "G" → ](/letter/g) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.