Today’s post was originally published on February 22, 2010. It was substantially revised and re-posted on April 13, 2015.
Once worn by queens and saints, today this name is often cited as the name you’d never give your girl.
Thanks to Jillian for suggesting Gertrude as our Baby Name of the Day.
Gertrude: Fiercely Royal
Gertrude’s meaning is fierce. Ger means spear, as in Garrett and Roger. The second bit means strength. She’s a stalwart Germanic appellation, more warrior queen than fairy princess.
Many a Gertrude was born royal, including the seventh century Saint Gertrude of Nivelles.
There’s also Gertrude of Hackeborn, the abbess of a convent in Helfta in the 1200s. The future Saint Gertrude the Great studied under Gertrude of Hackeborn at Helfta, and went on to become a famous mystic.
Between the 1000s and 1400s, there were Gertrudes aplenty amongst the ruling houses of Austria and all of the other states of the Holy Roman Empire. Denmark and Hungary had queens by the name. It was also the name of the devious queen in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Let’s say this: if you were penning a work of historical fiction set in Germanic Europe circa 1200, Gertrude is a solid choice for an aristocratic, accomplished woman.
Gertrude: The Ava of the Early 1900s
By the nineteenth century, Gertrude was all the rage.
And in the early twentieth? Gertrude ranked in the US Top 30 from the 1880s into the 1910s, and stayed in the Top 100 through 1930.
Okay, so that’s not quite as popular as Ava. Maybe she’s more like Andrea in the 1980s or Jasmine in more recent years.
Still, there were plenty of women, real and fictional, answering to the name in the era.
- Herman Hesse’s fictional tortured artist, at the center of his novel Gertrud.
- Gertrude Chandler Warner, the author of the Boxcar Children series.
- Socialite, sculptor, and patron of the arts, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney – that’s her in the portrait.
- English archeologist and travel writer Gertrude Lowthian Bell worked with T.E. Lawrence to develop the modern Middle East.
- Gertrude Stein, perhaps the best known of the bunch, was a writer and leading figure in modern literature.
Here’s a quirky one: the name Gertruda apparently found favor with Russian revolutionaries. Why? The phrase geroinya truda means Hero of Labor – and can be contracted to form Gertruda.
Gertrude: Ready for Revival?
By 1966, Gertrude had exited the US Top 1000 entirely.
And yet, every member of Generation X knows the name, thanks to 1982 blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. A young Drew Barrymore played adorable, five year old Gertie.
There’s also Trudie, as in Styler, wife of Sting. Trudy could be a sister for Hattie, or a substitute for Lucy. Of course, like Sadie and company, it’s easy to imagine parents forgoing the formal name.
Another possible short form: Tru or True, both current in 2015.
But what about Gertrude?
The 2013 numbers look like this:
- 18 girls named Gertrude
- Another 16 named Trudy
- 40 girls (and 49 boys) named True, plus another 36 girls (and 65 boys) called Tru
None of the numbers are enough to declare a trend, and yet I think the true sound is on the upswing.
If you love Beatrice and Eleanor, but worry that they’re too common, Gertrude might be just the thing – a serious name with stylish short forms, a classic seldom heard today.
What do you think – is Gertrude ready for revival?
I am sad that people have such negative reactions to Gertrude. To me she’s my grandmother (still living independently at 95) and one of the most amazing caring people I know. But like my Grandma Mabel, they both think their names are too dated and not pretty enough for use on a girl born today.
Elle, it is sort of sweet that your grandmas find Mabel and Gertrude too dated to insist on a namesake! Tell Grandma Mabel that I know an incredibly cute 2 y.o. Mabel. And if the comments here are any indication, Grandma Gertrude might hear her name on a Park Slope playground sometime soon …
That Park Slope comment might need explaining, especially considering the amount of international readers you have. 😉
To me, Gertrude is forever musty-dusty, as is Mathilda; I don’t care how many hipsters use them.
You’re quite right! UrbanAngel just told me that there aren’t even Pottery Barns in South Africa, so I can only guess that “Park Slope” is lost. I never knew how East Coast, BosWash my perspective was until I started blogging …
That’s one thing I have noticed: geography can play a huge part in how people view names. I’ve often noticed that what seems dull & dated to me is fresh, nouveu or even vintage to someone else.
When I was growing up, we had a neighbor named Gertrude–young, too, about my dad’s age. Plus, my older brother had a classmate named Trudy, which I love–more unique than Stacy or Tracy, but feels younger than Judy. If Gertrude was a family name, I would embrace it!
I really, really love Gertrude.
i love my name getrude.it makes me feel comfortable
I agree that it fits in with the current Adelaides and Matildas. I like it, it grows on you. Especially with the sweet old fashioned nicknames.
That’s exactly how I think of it, Kathryn – it grows on you.
Gertrude is okay but a little too harsh for a little girl I think.
I really like Trudy but would never use her as she is too much of a nickname.
I love Greta though and there is always Gretel as well.
I just hate that “trude” sound, whether in the full Gertrude or the shortened Trudy. Just one of those names that I have a physical negative reaction to.
I think it’s on par with rising star Matilda as far as ‘fusty battleaxe vibes” go and I greatly prefer it to name nerd favourites such as Adelaide and Charlotte.
In saying that I’d probably accept that any daughter I bestowed it on would likely want to kick my arse later in life for such a moniker and with that in mind I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot barge pole.
I can’t help liking Trudie and Gertie.
I’m with the group that lists names like Gertrude,Hilda, Helga, Bertha etc as really, really bad names. To me, the names don’t sound feminine & are dated in an extremely negative way. I think of a person with the personality along the lines of Gertrude the Prude. Some of these names remind me of negative eras & just don’t personally fit the things that I like. Some vintage names are whimsical and romantic, but Gertrude just seems stiff, starchy & overall -highly unappealing. I don’t think it’s the worst name that could ever be given to a person, I just find it a lot to live up to & it doesn’t seem like a name that’s even worth the fight to me. I also don’t like Trudy or even Judy. It’s a sound thing.
Hildegard, another ugly on the ears name, is one of my favorite Christian mystics. I must learn more about Gertrude!
Hildegard – also saintly, also leads to the so-cool nickname Hildy!
Gertrude isn’t as awful as the “worst” thing to call your daughter… I think it is OK but you’d have to be pretty darn confident to use it and I’d hazard that your kid would have to have a bit of a thick skin too. It’s not the easiest name to wear. Still, Trudy is cute, but call me nuts, I prefer Gertie. Greta, Gigi (yes!), Goodie, Tru, and Rudy are all possible nns for Gertrude. It seems doubtful to reach the heights of the early 20th century, but I could see some ultra-cool folks embracing her. And I can embrace at least some of the nicknames, no problem!
I’m with you on the nicknames – I really love Trudy/Trudie!
And Gigi? That’s a fabulous split between the frou-frou French and the solid German!