Male name
Gerald
377 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 11.
Origin
From Old French, ultimately from Frankish *gaiʀ (“spear”) + *wald (“might, power”). The name was brought to England by the Normans. It survived in Ireland, and was revived in the 19th century.From Wiktionary, entry “Gerald”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 23 births. 377 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. It is still given: 52 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1942: 11,521 births. 451,351 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1920s to the 1960s. At its peak, it ranked 19th among boys' names in 1936. It really came into use around 1885. It is still given: 982 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1964: 94 births. 1,537 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. At its peak, it ranked 57th among boys' names in 1964. Fewer than ten births recorded from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 32,135 | 1900–2025 | 60th in 1973 |
| Austria | 3,538 | 1984–2025 | 30th in 1986 |
| Switzerland | 2,184* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Quebec | 77 | 1980–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
11
intuition and inspiration (master number)
7 + 5 + 9 + 1 + 3 + 4 = 29 → 11
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
5 + 1 = 6
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
5
freedom, change, movement
7 + 9 + 3 + 4 = 23 → 5
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 6, 8
- Most frequent digit
- 1 · initiative, independence, beginnings
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.