boy's name
Gerard
JER-ard
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 455,957
Northern Ireland
#335
2024 births
Gerard is a boy's name from Germanic elements meaning brave with the spear. It charts in all seven markets we track, and its strongest positions are Irish — 335th in Northern Ireland, 367th in Ireland, 885th in Scotland, 1598th in England and Wales, 1675th in Canada, 1722nd in the United States and 3577th in France and 367th in the Republic.
- Gerard is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1956, when 1,617 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 34,899 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1886.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Gerard over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2020, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 2,375 |
| 1910s | 4,615 |
| 1920s | 19,760 |
| 1930s | 56,650 |
| 1940s | 137,760 |
| 1950s | 120,110 |
| 1960s | 30,920 |
| 1970s | 5,360 |
| 1980s | 1,450 |
| 1990s | 430 |
| 2000s | 135 |
| 2010s | 50 |
| 2020s (to 2020) | 25 |
What Gerard means
Gerard means brave with the spear, or strong spear. The Germanic original joins the word for a spear to one meaning hard, firm or brave, so the name describes a fighter by his weapon.
Where Gerard comes from
Gerard comes from the Germanic Gerhard — ger, a spear, joined to hard, brave or hardy. The spear element is among the most productive in Germanic naming, giving Gerald, Gervase, Garrett and the first half of Gary's source surname. Saint Gerard Majella, an eighteenth-century Redemptorist lay brother, became the patron of expectant mothers after a series of associated miracles, which is why the name holds particular standing in Catholic countries and especially in Ireland. Gerard Manley Hopkins, whose sprung rhythm reshaped English poetry after his work was published thirty years posthumously, is its best-known literary bearer.
Gerard in use
Gerard peaked in 1956, when 1,617 babies were registered in its largest market, and our data marks it stable. It charts in all seven markets — 335th in Northern Ireland on 5 births, 367th in Ireland on 11, 885th in Scotland, 1598th in England and Wales, 1675th in Canada, 1722nd in the United States on 95 and 3577th in France — across 455,957 lifetime births. Its Irish strength reflects the Catholic devotion to Gerard Majella rather than any Irish origin for the name itself.
How popular is Gerard?
In 2025, Gerard was given to 95 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Gerard is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Gerard is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Gérard | Gérard is a rare spelling of Gerard, written with an acute accent and recorded about 379,580 times, mostly in France. | 379,580 |
Names that peaked alongside Gerard
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Gerard also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Gerard over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Gerard
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Gerard in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Gerard
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Gerard — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Gerard
What does the name Gerard mean?
Brave with the spear — the Germanic ger, spear, joined to hard, brave.
Is Gerard an Irish name?
Not by origin — it is Germanic. Its Irish strength comes from devotion to Saint Gerard Majella, patron of expectant mothers.
Is Gerard the same as Gerald?
They share the spear element but differ in the second half: Gerald is spear-rule, Gerard spear-brave.
How popular is Gerard?
335th in Northern Ireland and 367th in Ireland. It charts in all six markets we track.
Is Gerard a girl's or a boy's name?
Gerard is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Gerard?
Gerard has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Gerard?
Gerard is usually shortened to Ger and Gerry.
Is Gerard a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Gerard currently ranks #335 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.