Given name & surname
Geraldo
“one who rules with the spear”
Geraldo is a variant of Gerald. One German interpretation is “one who rules with the spear.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Geraldo is a variant of Gerald. One German interpretation is “one who rules with the spear.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Geraldo is a variant of Gerald. Gerald has been associated with Germanic and Celtic naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1948. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Geraldo is a variant of Gerald. The history of Gerald gives this family its wider story. Gerald’s historical bearers include members of the aristocracy.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Geraldo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,395
- 2,395 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1988
- 115 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #12,663 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −19%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 12,663 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 19.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 115 in 1988. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,309 as a first name in 2020; 757 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Geraldo’s family of names
Geraldo has a related form in Gerald. In Portuguese usage, Geraldo has a conventional equivalent in the English form Gerald. In Italian usage, Geraldo has a conventional equivalent in the French form Gérald.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
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 Geraldo
- Geraldo RiveraAmerican attorney, journalist and talk show hostborn 1943
- Geraldo AlckminBrazilian politician, 56th and 60th governor of São Paulo (2001-2006, 2011-2018) and 26th Vice President of Brazil since 2023born 1952
- Geraldo Majella AgneloBrazilian Cardinal (1933–2023)
- Geraldo AlvesPortuguese association footballerborn 1980
- Geraldo MartinsPolitician from Guinea-Bissau
- Geraldo de Souza RodriguesBrazilian Roman Catholic prelate (1963–2025)
- Geraldo de Proença SigaudCatholic archbishop (1909–1999)
- Geraldo VandréBrazilian musicianborn 1935
- Geraldo AzevedoBrazilian singer-songwriterborn 1945
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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