Gertie
A pet form of Gertrude, a Germanic name built from "ger", meaning spear, and "thrud", meaning strength. It spread through English use of the medieval saint's name.
Gertie in 2025
Gertie was not given to any babies in 2025. The Social Security Administration only publishes a name once at least five babies receive it in a year, so Gertie has fallen below that threshold.
The history of Gertie
Gertie reached its highest point in 1918, when 220 babies were given the name, ranking 841st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 343rd, in 1890.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 8,532 babies have been named Gertie. Half of them were born before 1917, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Gertie by decade
| Decade | Babies named Gertie | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 710 | 345 |
| 1890s | 1,143 | 343 |
| 1900s | 1,115 | 403 |
| 1910s | 1,745 | 546 |
| 1920s | 1,551 | 958 |
| 1930s | 1,082 | 1,025 |
| 1940s | 672 | 1,238 |
| 1950s | 321 | 2,423 |
| 1960s | 110 | 3,547 |
| 1970s | 29 | 10,018 |
| 1980s | 10 | 16,061 |
| 2000s | 5 | 28,624 |
| 2010s | 25 | 18,839 |
| 2020s | 14 | 17,829 |
Where Gertie is heading
Gertie was not in use ten years ago, so there is no decade-long trend to compare against yet.
That is less than 5% of its 1918 peak — Gertie is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Gertie
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Gertie.