Gerald is a Germanic name formed from ger, "spear", and wald, "rule", so it means "spear ruler" or "ruler with the spear". The Normans brought it to England, and in America it is best remembered through President Gerald Ford. Gerald ranked number 382 in 2000, slipped to 765 by 2015, left the top 1000 in 2021 and stands at 1206 in 2025.