Holding steady.
Popularity of Girtrude since 1892
Babies named Girtrude per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1919, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Girtrude's real moment was 1908.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 11 |
| 1900s | 22 |
| 1910s | 86 |
| 1920s | 80 |
| 1930s | 17 |
| 1940s | 0 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Girtrude is an archaic spelling of Gertrude, a name that never saw wide use. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1892, but its peak usage was in 1908, when it likely saw just a handful of births per year. Since then, it has remained extremely rare, with no births recorded in recent decades. The standard form Gertrude has also fallen out of fashion, making Girtrude a niche choice. Its trajectory is stable, meaning it is neither rising nor falling dramatically; it simply exists on the periphery of the name landscape. The name is almost exclusively given to girls. While it has no recorded top states due to its rarity, it most likely appeared sporadically across the country, perhaps concentrated in communities favoring older or more elaborate name spellings.
Girtrude is a respelling of Gertrude, a name of Germanic origin derived from *ger* 'spear' and *þrūþ* 'strength'. Gertrude was introduced to England by the Normans and was common in the medieval period, though Girtrude appears to be a later variation, possibly influenced by the pronunciation or spelling trends of the late 19th century. Its use has always been rare, peaking in the 1900s.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Gertie, Trudy
Sibling names for Girtrude
Names that share Girtrude's style, for a brother or sister.
