The baby name Trudy has history to spare, but is seldom heard today.
Thanks to Frances for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME TRUDY MEAN?
We can’t talk about Trudy without discussing Gertrude.
The name comes from Germanic elements.
Ger means spear.Trude means strength. It’s tempting to combine those into something like “strength of a spear,” but that’s not exactly how such names worked.
But the first name Gertrude was popular. It’s Geltrude in Italian; Gertruda in several Slavic languages. And there’s a long and steady history of use.
Like many Germanic names, Gertrude filtered into use in English. But this name didn’t come with the Norman invaders, like Matilda and Adelaide. Instead, Gertrude arrived in England with German-speaking immigrants in the fifteenth century. The nickname Trudy is first heard around that time, too, at least in English.
MEDIEVAL GERTRUDE
A number of saints have answered to the name, including Saint Gertrude the Great. She was a Benedictine nun and mystic who lived at the Monastery at Helfta, in Germany, during the thirteenth century.
The powerful prince Henry the Lion, the Duke of both Saxony and Bavaria, named his daughter Gertrude in the twelfth century.
It seems like the name must’ve been reasonably common in much of Europe during the era.
NICKNAME NAME
But we’re talking about the baby name Trudy.
Gertrude left the US popularity charts after 1965. But the name ranked in the Top 100 from the 1880s through 1930.
Trudy is the obvious nickname, and presumably quite a few women were Trudy. Or Trudie or Tru.
Or possibly Gertie.
FAMOUS TRUDYS
Shakespeare gave the name to Hamlet’s mother. Author Gertrude Stein remains well known and widely-read.
But are there any famous Trudys?
Plenty, actually, including:
- Early 20th century suffrage activist Trudie Denman.
- During the 1940s, glamorous Trudy Marshall appeared in many a Hollywood film.
- Trudie Styler, best known as the wife of musician Sting.
- Detective Trudy Joplin on Miami Vice from 1984 through 1989.
- Monk‘s neurotic crime-solver Adrian Monk was fueled by the death of his wife Trudy, a murder he tried to solve from 2002 through 2009.
- Trudy Campbell, wife of Mad Men’s Pete, is another pop culture figure.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME TRUDY?
As an independent name, Trudy debuted in the US Top 1000 in the 1930s and lasted through 1978. It reached a peak rank of #252 in 1949.
Nickname Gertie actually ranked from 1880 into the 1940s.
Today, Trudy sounds like it could fit right in with favorites like Ruby and Ruth. Or spell it Trudie, and it’s an alternative to Sadie.
But none of the names are trending. As of 2023,
- 31 girls were named Gertrude
- An additional 24 girls received the name Trudy
- Fewer than five were named Trudie, Truda, or Gertie
Despite the stylish sound, few parents are considering these baby girl names.
RETRO, TRADITIONAL, and OBSCURE
If you’re looking for old-school baby name inspiration, Trudy is surprisingly stylish. It’s strong and traditional, but lighter than Gertrude. It’s a fits-in/stands-out name for a daugther now.
Readers, what do you think of the baby name Trudy?
First published on March 8, 2012, this post was revised on April 30, 2025.
I’m a 21 year old Trudy and I love my name! I constantly get compliments. For me, biased as I am, it feels like something appropriate for any age. The perfect blend of sweet and spunky and so well suited for me. I find myself loving the name Wanda because it has a similar not-quite-hip-yet feel.
My name is Trudy Ann. I’ve always liked my name too. I was the only Trudy in my school district. I liked having my own name. I named my daughter Tessa. I didn’t know anyone with that name.
Another TV reference: Trudy Weigel from the former Comedy Central series Reno 911. She would not inspire any baby namers, though.
I’m a Mad Men fanatic, so Trudy is all Trudy Campbell to me. I love that Trudy and Pete named their daughter Tammy, even thought I really dislike the name Tammy.
To my ears, Trudy is much like Judy – frequently bestowed independently but still best as a nickname imho. Gertrude has grown on me, along with Ethel and so many other ‘granny chic’ names. Though with Hattie on the rise, I think any little Gertrude would probably be Gertie or Gatty before Trudy.
I thought of Pete and Trudy’s Tammy too! It’s so perfect for them. Sally Draper’s nane always felt a little off. Susie or Debbie would’ve made more sense.
Sorry, I really don’t like this name. For me, the way the sounds come together make it difficult to say. My birthname was Judith nn Judy which I also seriously disliked for a similar reason, among other things. So, I guess I am a bit wary of names that claim to be ‘clunky but cool’, or ‘old-fashioned but fresh’.
The mother of my best friend in high school is named Trudy, and she’s a wonderful lady, which makes me love the name. Trudy’s mother’s name is Muriel, which I also love.
My other thought is the TV show Facts of Life.
That was Tootie, not Trudy.
I don’t like Gertrude, but I don’t hate it either. Whenever my mama is in a mischeivous mood, she’ll introduce me as “This is my daughter Charmaine, but it doesn’t matter what you call her because she can’t hear you. She’s deaf. You can call her Gertrude if you want!” lol. I like Gertchen/Gerta better than Gertrude. I realize Gertchen hasn’t been done on here so I’d like to suggest this name for your blog! 🙂
I never really thought about Trudy until I started watching Monk. The character just loved his wife SO MUCH that I can’t help but like the name now. (Heck, maybe I even love it.) I would name a girl just Trudy; despite all the old clunky-but-cool names that are coming back, I think Gertrude still falls too far on the clunky side. I don’t know if a girl would thank the parent who named her Gertrude.
If we’re going to go with -trude names, I like Ermintrude/Ermentrude. Also, my friend’s cat’s name is Gertrude, called Trudy.
Not to mention Gertrude/Gertie, the daughter in the movie Jersey Girl.
Personally, I like Gertrude/Gertie a lot better than some of the names that have already made a “come back”, but not Trudy which has “rude” in the middle there.
I love Rue & True/Truly, and I love names with Ds in them like Edie & Adele. But using them in combination to get Trudy/Rudy doesn’t work for me. I couldn’t put my finger on why until I read your post but its the “Rude” sound that is definitely turning me off.
That’s right! Nice addition.
I love Gertrude.