How Many People Are Named Gearldine?

An estimated 1,511 people in the United States have the first name Gearldine. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 77 years old, and Gearldine peaked in popularity in 1935 with 165 births that year.

Below you will find a full statistical profile of Gearldine as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Gearldine paired with any surname.

Key Insights

  • With an average bearer age of 77, Gearldine is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1959.

Estimated Living Americans

1,511

About 1 in 226,839 people in the U.S.

Rarity

Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Predicted Gender

Female

99.9% confidence

Average Age

77

years old

Peak Year

1935

165 births

Total Registered

4,691

since 1880

Gender Distribution for Gearldine

Gearldine is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 4,691 total births registered, 99.9% were female.

Male 5 (0.1%)
Female 4,686 (99.9%)

Gearldine as a male name

Ranked #3,677 in 1939

5 male births in 1939

Peak: 1939 (5 births)

Gearldine as a female name

Ranked #10,120 in 1977

5 female births in 1977

Peak: 1935 (165 births)

Gearldine in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census recorded 765 people with the first name Gearldine, which placed it at #15,138 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.

Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.

Gender in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, Gearldine was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 765 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.7% were male and 99.3% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.9% of the time.

Census Count

765

people with this name

Census Rank

#15,138

among Census first names

Frequency Rate

0.25

per 100,000 people

Male 5 (0.7%)
Female 760 (99.3%)

Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, the first name Gearldine was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.74%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (35.61%) and American Indian and Alaska Native (1.97%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Gearldine in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

White
58.74%
Black
35.61%
Hispanic
1.84%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.26%
American Indian/Alaska Native
1.97%
Two or More Races
1.58%

2020 Census demographic breakdown

Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Gearldine.

Group Share Count
White 58.74% 447
Black 35.61% 271
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.97% 15
Hispanic 1.84% 14
Two or More Races 1.58% 12
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.26% 2

The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.

Gearldine: Popularity Over Time

SSA records for Gearldine span from the 1900s to the 1970s, covering 8 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1930s, when 1,356 babies were registered. Gearldine has declined significantly from its peak in the 1930s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.

Male
Female
0 33 66 99 132 165 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Gearldine by Decade

How has Gearldine tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.

Decade Total Male Female
1900s 5 0 5
1910s 196 0 196
1920s 884 0 884
1930s 1,356 5 1,351
1940s 1,309 0 1,309
1950s 670 0 670
1960s 247 0 247
1970s 24 0 24

Gearldine by State

Birth registrations for Gearldine span all 20 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas. The lowest are in Florida, Ohio, California. On average, about 145 Gearldines were registered per state.

Gearldine + Last Name Combinations

How many people share a full name with Gearldine as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Gearldine: Questions and Answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Gearldine?

We estimate approximately 1,511 people named Gearldine are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 226,839 Americans share this first name.

Is Gearldine a common name?

Gearldine is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 92.4% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 4,691 births have been registered with this name since 1880.

When was Gearldine most popular?

Gearldine reached peak popularity in 1935, when 165 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Gearldine is approximately 77 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.

How common was Gearldine in the 2020 Census?

The 2020 Census recorded 765 people with the first name Gearldine. That placed it at #15,138 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.25 people per 100,000.

Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?

Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Gearldine was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.

What does the Census say about the gender split for Gearldine?

In the 2020 Census snapshot, Gearldine was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.7% male and 99.3% female.

What does the Census say about the background of people named Gearldine?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Gearldine was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (58.74%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (35.61%) and American Indian and Alaska Native (1.97%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?

The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.

Is Gearldine a female name?

Gearldine is predominantly female. 99.9% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.

Why can Gearldine have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Gearldine peaked in 1935, and the average living bearer is about 77 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.

How many Gearldine Smiths are there?

To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Gearldine Smith, Gearldine Johnson, Gearldine Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this data come from?

Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination