boy's name
Jerry
JER-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 636,095
the United States
#907
2025 births
Jerry is a name that serves as the short form of at least three unrelated names — Jeremiah from Hebrew, Gerald and Gerard from Germanic — so its meaning depends entirely on which one a family had in mind.
- Jerry is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 19,263 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 12,654 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Jerry 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 | 1,106 |
| 1890s | 1,147 |
| 1900s | 1,756 |
| 1910s | 7,273 |
| 1920s | 19,626 |
| 1930s | 84,841 |
| 1940s | 172,238 |
| 1950s | 139,095 |
| 1960s | 94,778 |
| 1970s | 49,081 |
| 1980s | 26,149 |
| 1990s | 16,727 |
| 2000s | 10,695 |
| 2010s | 5,924 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,980 |
What Jerry means
Jerry has no single meaning. Through Jeremiah it means God will exalt; through Gerald, ruler with the spear; through Gerard, brave with the spear. The three are unrelated in origin.
Where Jerry comes from
Jerry is a shortening that landed on three separate names at once. Jeremiah is the Hebrew Yirmeyahu, generally read as God will exalt or God will loosen, borne by the prophet of the Book of Jeremiah. Gerald and Gerard are Germanic compounds built on ger, a spear, joined to wald, rule, and hard, brave, respectively — related to each other but not to the Hebrew. English speakers clipped all three to the same syllable, so a Jerry may be any of them, and by the twentieth century it was widely registered as a full name with no parent name at all. In British wartime slang Jerry also meant a German soldier, a separate coinage from Germany itself.
Jerry in use
Jerry peaked in the United States in 1947, when 19,263 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 390th in Ireland on 10 births, 907th in the United States on 262, 1764th in England and Wales and 6088th in France, across 636,095 lifetime births. About 3 percent of recorded births are female, a small residue of its use as a short form of Geraldine.
How popular is Jerry?
In 2025, Jerry was given to 262 babies in the United States, ranking #907 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Jerry 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 Jerry
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Jerry also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Jerry over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Jerry 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.
- Polish
- Gerald
Sibling names for Jerry
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Jerry — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Jerry
What does the name Jerry mean?
It depends which name it shortens — God will exalt through Jeremiah, or spear-ruler through Gerald and Gerard.
Is Jerry short for Jeremiah?
It can be, and equally for Gerald or Gerard. It is also widely registered as a full name.
Is it Jerry or Gerry?
Both. Gerry usually points to Gerald or Gerard, Jerry to Jeremiah, but the usage is not consistent.
How popular is Jerry?
907th in the United States, down from a 1947 peak of 19,263 births.
Is Jerry a girl's or a boy's name?
Jerry is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Jerry?
Jerry has 2 syllables.
Is Jerry a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Jerry currently ranks #390 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.