Girl name · Germanic
Gertrude
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: spear of strengthGertrude is a girl's name that comes from Germanic and means "spear of strength". It is used in English, German and Dutch.
- Meaning
- Spear of strength
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #6632 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Gertrude
As a girl's name, Gertrude comes from Germanic and means "spear of strength". It is used in English, German and Dutch.
Its meaning puts Gertrude on our names that mean strong list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Gertrude on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Gertrude on 8 lists.
“Germanic for spear strength”
From Female demon hunter names, names that mean light, hunt or battle
“Old-fashioned and wonderfully grand”
From Porch goose names, girl porch goose names
“Germanic for spear strength”
From Female cat names, strong female cat names
“Germanic for spear strength, with Gertie for short”
From Girl dog names, strong female dog names
“Spear of strength; Germanic”
From Names that mean strong, girl names that mean strong
“Spear of strength; Germanic. Hamlet's mother in Shakespeare”
From Names that mean warrior, names that mean spear, sword or arrow
“Spear of strength; Germanic. Gertie or Trudy for short”
From Strong female names, girl names that mean strong
“Spear of strength; Germanic. Gertie or Trudy for short”
From Vintage girl names, old fashioned girl names from the 1900s to 1920s
How popular is Gertrude?
- US rank in 2025
- #6,632
- 17 babies, 11 per million girls
- Best rank
- #22 in 1906
- Most babies: 6,300 in 1917
- Babies since 1880
- At least 177,100
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 8,456 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 8,957 per million |
| 1900s | 8,064 per million |
| 1910s | 6,077 per million |
| 1920s | 3,552 per million |
| 1930s | 1,513 per million |
| 1940s | 548 per million |
| 1950s | 205 per million |
| 1960s | 68 per million |
| 1970s | 25 per million |
| 1980s | 11 per million |
| 1990s | 6 per million |
| 2000s | 7 per million |
| 2010s | 13 per million |
| 2020s | 18 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,117 | #5,098 | #5,216 | #4,198 | #4,293 | #4,545 | #4,407 | #4,495 | #4,700 | #6,632 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Gertrude
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- GertrudSpear strength (Germanic, girl)
- GertrudisSpear strength (Germanic, girl)
- TrudySpear of strength (Germanic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- GabrielGod is my strength (Hebrew, boy)
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- MatildaStrength in battle (Germanic, girl)
- AngusOne strength (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- GabrielaGod is my strength (Hebrew, girl)
- GabriellaGod is my strength (Hebrew, girl)
- GerardBrave spear (Germanic, boy)
- GerhardBrave spear (Germanic, boy)
- MathildeStrength in battle (Germanic, girl)
- MatildeStrength in battle (Germanic, girl)
Middle names for Gertrude
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Germanic
- EmmaWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- CharlotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LouiseFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- AdaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdelaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdeleNoble one (Germanic, girl)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
Gertrude: common questions
What does the name Gertrude mean?
Gertrude comes from Germanic and means "spear of strength".
Is Gertrude a boy or girl name?
Gertrude is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Gertrude come from?
Gertrude comes from Germanic and means "spear of strength". Today it is used in English, German and Dutch.
How popular is the name Gertrude?
Gertrude ranked #6,632 in the US in 2025, with 17 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Gertrude?
Forms of Gertrude with the same meaning and origin include Gertrud (German), Gertrudis (Spanish) and Trudy (English).
What middle names go with Gertrude?
Middle names that flow well with Gertrude include Agnes, Daisy, Iris, Lily and Luna. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.