Gertrude

German

"strength of a spear"

Gertrude Origin and Meaning

The name Gertrude is a girl's name of German origin meaning "strength of a spear".

Could cute nickname Gertie, remembered as cute five-year-old Drew Barrymore in E.T., revive the long shunned Gertrude?

It's tempting to dismiss Gertrude as a name on its way through the door marked Out Forever, except that its long and honorable pedigree--as a goddess in Norse mythology, as the gentle and mystical Saint Gertrude the Great, and another St. Gertrude who is the patron of cats, and its use by Shakespeare for Hamlet's (not exactly exemplary) mother--earns it a place on the permanent roster. It has also been borne by such varied figures as writer Gertrude Stein, swimming champ Gertrude Ederle, British stage star Gertrude Lawrence, and arts patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney.

The pinnacle of fashion a century ago, Gertrude reached as high as Number 23 in 1900, but dropped off the list completely in 1966.

Gertrude Rank in US Top 1000

# 977 in the US

Gertrude Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 1112 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Gertrude

• 1112 Nameberry 2025

20 Names Similar to Gertrude

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Gertrude.

• Mildred
• Edna
• Ethel
• Jemima
• Doris
• Bernadette
• Hilda
• Gladys
• Prudence
• Geraldine
• Thelma
• Joan
• Maud
• Edwina
• Lois
• Frida
• Francine
• Alberta
• Phyllis
• Dora

Famous People Named Gertrude

• Saint Gertrude the Great German Benedictine mystic and theologian
• Saint Gertrude of Nivelles Belgian abbess
• Gertrude of Hohenburg Queen consort of Rudolph I of Germany
• Gertrude of Merania Queen consort of Andrew II of Hungary
• Gertrude of Bavaria and Saxony Queen consort of Canute VI of Denmark
• Gertrude Stein American novelist
• Gertrude Chandler Warner American children's novelist
• Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton American novelist
• Gertrude Jekyll English garden designer
• Gertrude Bambrick American silent film actress
• Gertrude Berg (born Tillie Edelstein) American actress
• Gertrude Belle Elion American biochemist and Nobel Prize winner
• Gertrude Lawrence (born Gertrude Alice Dagmar Klasen) English actress and singer
• Gertrude Mabel Barrows Bennett American novelist
• Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell English writer and spy
• Gertrude Caroline Ederle American Olympic swimmer
• Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney American sculptor and art patron
• Gertrude Modora Bryan American actress
• Gertrude Astor American actress
• Gertrude Abercrombie American painter

The name Gertrude in Pop Culture

• Gertrude Hamlet's mother in Shakespeare's "Hamlet"
• Gertrude "Gigi" Hollingsworth character in TV's "Wizards of Waverly Place"
• Gertrude Lescot character in "Sims" series
• "Gertrude McFuzz " Dr. Seuss book
• Gertrude "Gert" Yorkes aka Arsenic character in Marvel's Runaway comics
• Gertrude Von Harp character in G. A. Henty's, By Pike and Dyke
• Candace Gertrude Flynn character in "Phineas and Ferb"
• Gertrude "Mama Gertrude" Acachalla A character from the YouTube channel VenturianTale
• Gertrude Trinke character in the film Jersey Girl
• Gertrude "Trudy" Hardy Fenton Hardy's sister and The Hardy Boys' aunt from "The Hardy Boys" series
• Gertrude Robinson ex,archivist on "The Magnus Archives"

International Variations of the name Gertrude

• Geerta Dutch
• Gertraud German
• Gertrud German
• Gertruda German