Gerod
An English masculine name derived from the French "Gerard", meaning "brave spear".
Name Census estimates that about 278 living Americans carry the first name Gerod. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gerod today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gerod births was 1981 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gerod. 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.
People living today
278
~ 1 in 1,232,929 Americans
Peak year
1981
14 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2000 SSA rank
#9,501
Tracked since 1951
Census
Gerod in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 289 people with the first name Gerod, which placed it at #30,250 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
#30,250
National first-name rank
People counted
289
289 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
56.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerod
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gerod is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Gerod 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 Gerod at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.1% · 162
- White32.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 16
- Two or more races4.2% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Gerod: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Gerod from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 105 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Gerod 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 Gerod during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Gerod
The name Gerod is of Old English origin, derived from the Germanic elements "ger" meaning "spear" and "rod" meaning "bright" or "famous." It can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, spanning from the 5th to the 11th century AD, when it was primarily used in regions of present-day England and parts of northern Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gerod can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of English landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the counties of Northumbria and Mercia, indicating its widespread use among the Anglo-Saxon population.
In the 12th century, a notable figure bearing the name Gerod was Gerod of Salisbury, a Benedictine monk and chronicler who lived from approximately 1100 to 1180. His writings provide valuable insights into the social and religious life of medieval England.
During the Renaissance period, the name Gerod gained prominence through the works of the English playwright and poet Gerod Marlowe (1564-1593). Marlowe's influential plays, such as "Doctor Faustus" and "The Jew of Malta," have cemented his place in literary history and contributed to the enduring legacy of the name.
In the 19th century, the name Gerod was associated with Gerod Livingston (1816-1888), a prominent American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1853 to 1855.
Another notable figure with the name Gerod was Gerod Chesterton (1874-1936), the renowned English writer, philosopher, and Christian apologist. His works, including the Father Brown mystery stories and the book "Orthodoxy," had a significant impact on literature and theology in the early 20th century.
While the name Gerod has its roots in Old English and Germanic origins, it has maintained a presence throughout various periods of history, carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. From medieval chroniclers to literary giants and political figures, the name Gerod has left an indelible mark on the cultural and historical tapestry of various regions and eras.
People
Gerod + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gerod 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
Gerod: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gerod?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 278 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gerod 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 1,232,929 US residents.
Is Gerod a common name?
We classify Gerod as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 295 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gerod most popular?
The single biggest year for Gerod was 1981, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gerod is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Gerod in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 289 people with the name Gerod, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,250 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 Gerod 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 Gerod?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Gerod appears almost entirely male. Of the 284 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Gerod?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Gerod is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Gerod most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Gerod in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (162 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 Gerod in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gerod a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gerod in the SSA data are male. 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 Gerod still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gerod 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 Gerod 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 people are called Gerod?
You can see how many Americans are named Gerod on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.