Yeraldine
A feminine name derived from the Germanic elements "ger" and "hild", signifying "spear-fighter".
Name Census estimates that about 100 living Americans carry the first name Yeraldine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yeraldine today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yeraldine births was 2011 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yeraldine. 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
100
~ 1 in 3,427,543 Americans
Peak year
2011
13 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2017 SSA rank
#15,825
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Yeraldine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yeraldine from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 64 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Yeraldine 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 Yeraldine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yeraldines live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yeraldine
The name Yeraldine is an uncommon given name with obscure origins. It is believed to have emerged from a combination of the Germanic root words "ger" meaning spear and "ald" meaning old or ancient, suggesting a connection to warriors or soldiers of antiquity. The name may have originated in the regions of present-day Germany or the Low Countries during the Middle Ages.
While no definitive historical records exist, some scholars speculate that the name Yeraldine may have been mentioned in ancient Germanic folklore or sagas, albeit with varying spellings such as Geraldine or Yeraldyne. However, these claims remain unsubstantiated.
The earliest known record of the name Yeraldine dates back to the 12th century, when a noblewoman by that name was mentioned in a chronicle from the Duchy of Saxony. Unfortunately, no further details about her life or significance have been preserved.
Throughout history, a few notable individuals have borne the name Yeraldine. One of the earliest was Yeraldine von Hessen, a 14th-century German aristocrat and landowner who played a role in the local politics of her time. Another was Yeraldine de Montfort, a French noblewoman from the 16th century who was known for her patronage of the arts and her involvement in court intrigues during the reign of King Henry II.
In the 18th century, Yeraldine Beaumont was a celebrated English playwright and poet whose works explored themes of love, loss, and societal constraints. Her play "The Rival Sisters" was a notable success during her lifetime.
Moving into the 19th century, Yeraldine Whistler was an American artist and etcher, best known for her landscape paintings depicting the natural beauty of the American West. She was born in 1848 and lived until 1912.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Yeraldine Rothe was a German author and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and equality. She published several influential novels and essays challenging traditional gender roles and societal norms. Yeraldine Rothe lived from 1885 to 1964.
While the name Yeraldine has remained relatively obscure throughout history, these individuals have left their mark in various fields, carrying on the legacy of this unique and enigmatic name.
People
Yeraldine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yeraldine as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yeraldine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yeraldine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 100 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yeraldine 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 3,427,543 US residents.
Is Yeraldine a common name?
We classify Yeraldine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 101 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yeraldine most popular?
The single biggest year for Yeraldine was 2011, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yeraldine is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Yeraldine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yeraldine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yeraldine 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 Yeraldine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yeraldine 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 Yeraldine 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Yeraldine?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Yeraldine on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.