Geraldine is the feminine form of Gerald, from the Germanic elements ger, "spear", and wald, "rule", and so means "ruler with the spear". The poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, coined it in the 16th century for Elizabeth Fitzgerald, his "Fair Geraldine", and in 1984 Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman nominated for vice president by a major American party. A top 100 name in the 1920s and 1930s, Geraldine ranked number 1822 in 2000, peaked this century at number 967 in 2011 and stands at number 2447 in 2025 with 73 girls.