The name Gearld is of English origin and is a variant spelling of the name Gerald. The name Gerald is derived from the Germanic words "ger" meaning "spear" and "wald" meaning "rule". Therefore, the name Gearld means "strong in rule".
The name Gearld has a long history and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It was introduced into England by the Normans after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name became popular in England during the medieval period and was often used as a given name.
Today, the name Gearld is still used as a given name but it is not as common as it once was. It is sometimes used as a middle name or as a family name. Overall, the name Gearld has a strong and powerful meaning and an interesting history that dates back centuries.
The name Gearld has seen a fascinating journey in terms of popularity over the past century in the United States. The statistics provided give us a glimpse into this journey.
In the early years from 1914 to 1923, the name Gearld saw between 11 and 42 births per year, with a significant increase starting from 1922. This trend continued until 1929, where we see a peak of 59 births in both 1929 and 1930.
The 1930s were a decade of steady growth for the name Gearld, with the number of births increasing year by year from 71 in 1931 to a high of 146 in 1941. However, World War II seemed to have an impact on this trend, as the number of newborns named Gearld began to decline slightly, dropping to 81 in 1945.
The post-war era saw a fluctuating pattern for the name Gearld. There were periods of increase, such as from 1946 to 1950 with numbers ranging between 102 and 119 births per year, followed by declines and fluctuations, reaching as low as 38 births in 1965.
The latter half of the century showed a clear decline in the popularity of the name Gearld. From 1967 onwards, the number of newborns named Gearld fell below 40 each year, dropping to a low of 16 births in 1973.
However, it's interesting to note that even after this significant decrease in popularity, the name Gearld has continued to appear on birth certificates across the United States. Between 1982 and 1988, there were between 6 and 11 newborns named Gearld each year, indicating that while it may not be a common choice anymore, the name still holds some significance for a small number of parents.
In total, over the span of these years from 1914 to 1988, there were 4281 births registered with the name Gearld in the United States. This journey of popularity highlights how trends and preferences can change over time within societies.