Holding steady.
Popularity of Gerlene since 1916
Babies named Gerlene per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1946, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Gerlene's real moment was 1931.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 6 |
| 1920s | 34 |
| 1930s | 95 |
| 1940s | 84 |
| 1950s | 49 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Gerlene is a rare 20th-century American coinage that first appeared in 1916, a time when many -ene and -lene suffixed names were fashionable. Its peak year was 1931, though even then it never ranked among the top 1,000 names. The name has since become extremely uncommon, with no recorded births in recent decades. Its trajectory has been stable since the 1940s, reflecting a pattern of rapid decline typical of many invented names from that era. Regional data is sparse, but the name saw scattered use across the Midwest and South.
Gerlene appears to be a 20th-century coinage in the United States, likely formed by combining elements from names like Geraldine or the suffix -lene, popularized by names such as Marlene. It first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1916 and saw modest use during the 1920s and 1930s, peaking in 1931. Use has since declined sharply, becoming rare after the mid-20th century.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Gerry, Lena
Sibling names for Gerlene
Names that share Gerlene's style, for a brother or sister.
