girl's name
Gertrude
GUR-trood
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 182,651
Ireland
#587
1994 births
Gertrude is a girl's name from Germanic elements meaning spear-strength, and its saint is patron of cats — a modern attribution that no medieval source supports. Our data marks it reviving from a very low base.
- Gertrude is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1917, when 6,315 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 195,046 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Gertrude over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 11,132 |
| 1890s | 19,980 |
| 1900s | 23,683 |
| 1910s | 49,700 |
| 1920s | 42,589 |
| 1930s | 16,238 |
| 1940s | 7,948 |
| 1950s | 3,936 |
| 1960s | 1,250 |
| 1970s | 380 |
| 1980s | 188 |
| 1990s | 102 |
| 2000s | 135 |
| 2010s | 236 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 171 |
What Gertrude means
Gertrude means spear-strength, or strong with the spear. The Germanic joins the word for a spear to one meaning strength, so both halves belong to the vocabulary of war.
Where Gertrude comes from
Gertrude is the Germanic Gerthrud — ger, a spear, joined to thrud, strength. The same thrud ends Ethel's fuller relatives such as Æthelthryth, and the ger begins Gerald, Gerard and Gervase. Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, a seventh-century abbess, is invoked against mice and rats, which by the twentieth century had been extended to make her patron of cats — an attribution with no medieval basis at all, though it is now the thing she is best known for. Gertrude Stein and Shakespeare's Hamlet supply the name's two literary weights.
Gertrude in use
Gertrude peaked in the United States in 1917, when 6,315 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 6805th in the United States on 17 births, across 182,651 lifetime births. The revival is from an extremely low base and the absolute numbers remain small, but the direction matches Ida, Ethel and Mildred, all of which peaked within a few years of it.
How popular is Gertrude?
In 2025, Gertrude was given to 17 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Gertrude 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.
Names that peaked alongside Gertrude
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Gertrude also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Gertrude over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Gertrude
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.
Gertrude 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 Gertrude
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Gertrude — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Gertrude
What does the name Gertrude mean?
Spear-strength — the Germanic ger, a spear, joined to thrud, strength.
Why is Saint Gertrude the patron of cats?
A modern extension. She was invoked against mice and rats; no medieval source connects her to cats.
Is Trudy short for Gertrude?
Yes, taking the second element rather than the first.
Is Gertrude coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, though from a very low base — 17 American births in the latest year.
How popular is the name Gertrude?
In 2025, Gertrude was given to 17 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Gertrude a girl's or a boy's name?
Gertrude is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Gertrude?
Gertrude has 2 syllables.
When was Gertrude most popular?
Gertrude peaked in 1917, when 6,315 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Gertrude?
Gertrude is usually shortened to Trudy and Gertie.
Is Gertrude a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Gertrude currently ranks #6,805 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.