Discover and Shortlist Your Perfect Baby Names!

Gerda as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Gerda

Add to my Name List

The baby name Gerda is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈɡɛr.də/ (GER-dah).

Gerda is Norse, Scandinavian in Origin.

Gender: Female
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Norse, Scandinavian
Pronunciation: /ˈɡɛr.də/ (GER-dah)

What is the meaning of the name Gerda ?

The baby name Gerda is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈɡɛr.də/ (GER-dah).

Gerda is Norse, Scandinavian in Origin.

Gerda blends Norse myth and Germanic roots. In Old Norse it mirrors Gerðr, the radiant giantess courted by the god Freyr; that name stems from garðr ‘enclosure, protected place,’ giving the sense “enclosed, protected.” In continental Europe, Gerda also serves as a short form of Gertrud/Gertrude (from ger ‘spear’ + þruþ ‘strength’), so meanings range from “protected one” to “spear-strength.”

The name spread widely across Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Baltics in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, aided by Romantic interest in Norse lore and by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, whose brave heroine is Gerda. It peaked in Sweden and Denmark around 1900–1940 and in Germany between the wars before becoming a vintage choice. Variants and diminutives include Gerd, Gerdi/Gerdy, and Icelandic Gerður; related forms are Gertrud and Gerta.

Gerda has the following similar or variant Names

Gerda – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Germany Girls 2024 #1 417
Ireland Girls 2014 #1 947
BW 0 #19 1 960
HT Girls 0 #22 2 950
NA 0 #32 2 2,537
BI Girls 0 #33 1 726
EE 0 #34 4 1,051
NL Girls 0 #38 6,706 5,933
LT 0 #60 28 949
AL 0 #76 1 2,372
LT Girls 0 #81 208 1,904
ID Girls 0 #102 1 3,319
EE Girls 0 #103 36 1,888
HU 0 #107 9 1,675
Austria Girls 0 #121 642 1,885
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
Norway Girls 2017 #128 4 477
NL 0 #152 291 2,481
CR 0 #165 1 5,526
Austria 0 #172 42 850
HU Girls 0 #174 50 3,308
Sweden Girls 2022 #176 4 1,568
SI Girls 0 #177 1 2,769
DK Girls 0 #184 151 7,429
AE 0 #185 3 10,220
LU Girls 0 #188 3 4,850
DK 0 #191 13 5,198
NA Girls 0 #191 34 7,146
RU 0 #194 1 3,641
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
AL Girls 0 #226 2 4,141
PS 0 #226 1 5,692
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
JP Girls 0 #251 1 6,592
NA Boys 0 #253 1 6,830
MO Girls 0 #263 1 7,056
Germany Girls 0 #268 1,137 4,949
JM Girls 0 #277 2 7,507
IL 0 #281 2 6,291
SG 0 #282 1 11,010
ZA 0 #292 156 14,421
HR Girls 0 #294 1 3,687
SA 0 #311 2 10,560
PL Girls 0 #318 37 5,096
CZ Girls 0 #328 14 5,378
ZA Girls 0 #329 1,831 25,928
KZ Girls 0 #330 3 5,862
DK Boys 0 #332 1 7,401
QA Girls 0 #340 4 15,378
MY 0 #354 1 12,352
France Girls 1983 #356 3 1,705
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
Finland Girls 0 #381 11 1,368
Germany 0 #396 42 2,542
EG 0 #412 1 6,387
PH Girls 0 #429 1 13,098
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
RU Girls 0 #459 40 11,913
SD Boys 0 #466 1 10,523
PT Girls 0 #470 2 7,952
IR Girls 0 #516 15 8,334
PA Girls 0 #517 2 9,861
RU Boys 0 #525 2 12,621
GT Girls 0 #538 4 7,500
PS Girls 0 #544 4 10,981
CM Girls 0 #556 5 11,671
HK Boys 0 #557 1 12,905
LY 0 #558 2 12,703
CR Girls 0 #571 3 11,342
AE Girls 0 #596 2 20,968
IL Boys 0 #625 1 10,983
SG Girls 0 #631 2 18,916
Finland Girls 2026 #638 101 3,895
IL Girls 0 #641 5 11,648
BO Girls 0 #650 2 9,488
IT 0 #701 14 4,183
CL Girls 0 #808 44 14,098
NG Girls 0 #826 1 15,093
TN 0 #865 1 13,765
BR Girls 0 #891 51 12,708
NL Boys 0 #906 46 5,873
EG Boys 0 #925 1 15,035
Spain Girls 0 #952 32 5,561
CO Boys 0 #981 1 15,656
PE Girls 0 #1,004 7 14,861
EG Girls 0 #1,005 5 14,742
SA Girls 0 #1,013 2 25,931
MY Girls 0 #1,071 2 24,821
CO Girls 0 #1,151 2 16,140
ZA Boys 0 #1,161 18 25,619
MY Boys 0 #1,182 1 25,439
MA 0 #1,197 3 20,986
TR 0 #1,198 14 19,440
MX Girls 0 #1,264 4 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,284 163 9,415

Gerda is popular in 62 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Norway
Sweden
Germany
Ireland

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Gerda

Gerda is predominantly a girl's name.
Gerda is a 2 syllable name, pronounced /ˈɡɛr.də/ (GER-dah).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Gerd, Gerta, Gerde, Gjerda and Gerðr (Old Norse).
Across languages, Gerda has these equivalents: Gerðr (Old Norse), Gerta (German/Estonian), Gerd (Scandinavian/German, short form).
Yes, very popular — Gerda ranked #1 in Germany in 2024, and appears in official birth registries across 6 countries.
Gerda ranks highest in Germany (#1 in 2024).
Gerda's popularity is declining significantly. It moved from #343 in 1980 to #356 in 1983 in France.