Geri
A feminine diminutive of Germanic origin meaning "spear-bearer" or "spearman".
Name Census estimates that about 6,099 living Americans carry the first name Geri. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Geri today is around 60 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Geri births was 1958 (368 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Geri. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Geri with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
6.1K
~ 1 in 56,198 Americans
Peak year
1958
368 babies that year
Average age
60
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,939
Tracked since 1918
Census
Geri in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 8,115 people with the first name Geri, which placed it at #2,849 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#2,849
National first-name rank
People counted
8.1K
8,115 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
84.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geri
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Geri is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Geri described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Geri at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.6% · 6,862
- Black or African American5.1% · 416
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 384
- Two or more races2.6% · 208
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 155
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 90
Gender
Gender distribution for Geri
Out of the 8,026 babies given the name Geri since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Geri as a male name
- Ranked #3,939 in 1947
- 5 male births in 1947
- Peak: 1947 (5 births)
Geri as a female name
- Ranked #12,934 in 2018
- 7 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1958 (368 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Geri leans strongly female. 7,967 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 146 male bearers (1.8%).
Popularity
Geri: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Geri from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 2,466 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Geri by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Geri during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Geris live
The SSA's state-level files cover 37 states and territories. California, Illinois, New York recorded the most babies named Geri, while Tennessee, Nevada, North Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 133 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Geri
The name Geri is a Germanic name with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "gēr," which means "spear." The name was commonly used in various Germanic cultures, including the Saxons, Franks, and Goths.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Geri can be found in the Old Norse Poetic Edda, a collection of ancient Norse poems and stories. In the poem "Grímnismál," the name Geri is mentioned as one of the names of Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology. This association with a powerful deity suggests that the name held significance and respect in ancient Germanic societies.
During the Middle Ages, the name Geri gained popularity among the nobility and warrior classes. It was often given to sons who were expected to grow into brave and skilled fighters. In the epic poem "Nibelungenlied," written in the 13th century, there is a character named Gernot, which is a variant of Geri. This literary reference further solidifies the name's historical presence in Germanic culture.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Geri was Geri the Old, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 9th century. He was known for his leadership and bravery during the Viking Age, and his name is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas.
Another notable figure was Geri of Aurillac, a French nobleman and saint who lived in the 9th century. He was renowned for his piety and charitable works, establishing several monasteries and hospitals in the region of Auvergne.
In the 11th century, Geri the Powerful was a prominent German nobleman and military leader who fought alongside Emperor Henry IV during the Investiture Controversy. His exploits and loyalty to the emperor were recorded in contemporary chronicles.
During the 12th century, Geri of Regensburg was a prominent German scholar and theologian. He wrote several influential works on theology and philosophy, contributing to the intellectual discourse of the time.
In the 15th century, Geri Müller was a German artist and woodcarver known for his intricate religious sculptures and altarpieces. His work can be found in numerous churches and museums across Germany, showcasing his skill and artistry.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Geri
People
Geri + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Geri as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Geri: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Geri?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,099 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Geri going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 56,198 US residents.
Is Geri a common name?
We classify Geri as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8,026 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Geri most popular?
The single biggest year for Geri was 1958, when 368 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Geri is about 60 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Geri in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 8,115 people with the name Geri, or 2.69 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,849 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Geri in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Geri?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Geri leans strongly female. 7,967 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 146 male bearers (1.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Geri?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Geri is White at 84.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Geri most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Geri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.6% (6,862 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Geri in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Geri a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Geri in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Geri still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Geri in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Geri can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Geri?
See how many people share the name Geri on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.