Given name
Geraldine
“one who rules with the spear”
Geraldine began as a poetic feminine form of Gerald.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In German use, Geraldine carries the interpretation “one who rules with the spear.” Geraldine is a feminine form of Gerald. One German interpretation is “one who rules with the spear.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
In English use, Geraldine is used as a feminine counterpart of Gerald.
The story
The Earl of Surrey created Geraldine in the sixteenth century in a poem praising Lady Fitzgerald. The name remained little used for a time before becoming more established in the eighteenth century.
Geraldine through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 212,097
- 748 boys · 211,349 girls
- Most popular year
- 1930
- 5,471 babies
- 2025
- 73
- #2,447 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −11%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 73 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,447 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 11.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 5,448 in 1930. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 92,416 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Geraldine’s family of names
In English usage, Geraldine has a diminutive in Jerry. Geraldine is a feminine form of Gerald. Geraldine has a related form in Gerry.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Geraldine has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
13 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 32
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Jerrydiminutive · English
- Gerrydiminutive · English
- Jerilynvariant · English
- Jeridiminutive · English
- Jerridiminutive · English
- Geraldinnelikely variant
- Geraldynvariant · English
- Jerriediminutive · English
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- Gerridiminutive · English
- Geridiminutive · English
- Gerikavariant
- Gericavariant
- Gerrilynvariant
- Gerilynnvariant
- Geriannevariant
- Geralynnvariant
- Geralynvariant
- Geraldinavariant · Italian
- Geraldenevariant
- Geraldeenvariant
- Geraldavariant
- Gerraldinelikely variant
- Geraldeanavariant
- Geraldeanevariant
- Gireldavariant
- Gerickavariant
- Giraldavariant
- Gerroldinevariant
- Geriannavariant
- Gerdinevariant
- Gerdenevariant
- Geralynnevariant
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Geraldine
- Geraldine PageAmerican actress (1924–1987)
- Geraldine ChaplinBritish-American actressborn 1944
- Geraldine FerraroAmerican politician (1935–2011)
- Geraldine FitzgeraldIrish-American actress (1913–2005)
- Geraldine BrooksAustralian-American journalist and authorborn 1955
- Geraldine FarrarAmerican soprano opera singer and film actress (1882–1967)
- Geraldine JamesBritish actressborn 1950
- Geraldine McEwanBritish actress (1932-2015)
- Geraldine SomervilleIrish actressborn 1967
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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