Gerard
A Germanic name combining ger, meaning spear, with hard, meaning brave or hardy. The Normans brought it to England, where it long outranked the related Gerald.
Gerard in 2025
Gerard was given to 95 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 3,665th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 34,898 babies born.
The history of Gerard
Gerard reached its highest point in 1956, when 1,617 babies were given the name, ranking 382nd that year.
Across the 140 years of records since 1886, 58,932 babies have been named Gerard. Half of them were born before 1955, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Gerard by decade
| Decade | Babies named Gerard | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 14 | 1,545 |
| 1890s | 61 | 1,403 |
| 1900s | 214 | 1,011 |
| 1910s | 2,681 | 555 |
| 1920s | 5,502 | 478 |
| 1930s | 5,313 | 471 |
| 1940s | 8,138 | 423 |
| 1950s | 14,235 | 382 |
| 1960s | 9,361 | 433 |
| 1970s | 4,031 | 753 |
| 1980s | 3,317 | 963 |
| 1990s | 2,383 | 1,162 |
| 2000s | 1,340 | 1,871 |
| 2010s | 1,634 | 2,182 |
| 2020s | 708 | 2,972 |
Where Gerard is heading
Gerard has fallen 47% over the past decade, from 180 babies in 2015 to 95 in 2025.
Names like Gerard
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Gerard.