Given name · also Germanic
Jerilyn
“one who rules with the spear”
Jerilyn is a variant of Jeraldine. In English use, Jeraldine carries the interpretation “one who rules with the spear.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jerilyn is a variant of Jeraldine. In English use, Jeraldine carries the interpretation “one who rules with the spear.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Jerilyn comes from Germanic, and ultimately from Germanic languages.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1931. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Jerilyn has a related form in Geraldine. The history of Geraldine gives this family its wider story. The Earl of Surrey created Geraldine in the sixteenth century in a poem praising Lady Fitzgerald. Geraldine remained little used for a time before becoming more established in the eighteenth century.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jerilyn through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,251
- 0 boys · 5,251 girls
- Most popular year
- 1942
- 325 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #12,475 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −52%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 12,475 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 325 in 1942. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,523 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.
Jerilyn’s family of names
In English usage, Jerilyn has a diminutive in Jerry. In English usage, Jerilyn has a related form in Geraldine. In English usage, Jerilyn has a diminutive in Jeri.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Jerilyn, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Charlene
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Jeralee
“one who rules with the spear”
>99% girls
Charmian
“charming and delightful woman”
>99% girls
Uta
“fortunate maid of battle” · “poem”
>99% girls
Jerilene
“one who rules with the spear”
>99% girls
Ute
“wielding a spear of the elves” · “fortunate maid of battle”
>99% girls
Jeraldene
“one who rules with the spear”
>99% girls
Merrily
“one who is lighthearted and joyful” · “filled with joy”
>99% girls