| Alice | Gertrude | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Noble | Spear of strength |
| Origin | Germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | AL-iss | GUR-trood |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 1921 (11,955) | 1917 (6,300) |
| In 2025 | 3,547 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Alice | Gertrude |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 20,743 | 171 |
| 2010s | 30,636 | 236 |
| 2000s | 8,271 | 135 |
| 1990s | 6,466 | 102 |
| 1980s | 7,330 | 188 |
| 1970s | 11,132 | 380 |
| 1960s | 26,954 | 1,250 |
| 1950s | 52,074 | 3,936 |
| 1940s | 72,392 | 7,936 |
| 1930s | 78,968 | 16,137 |
| 1920s | 110,526 | 42,459 |
| 1910s | 85,866 | 49,565 |
| 1900s | 35,232 | 23,607 |
| 1890s | 24,415 | 19,898 |
| 1880s | 17,142 | 11,100 |
Alice comes from the Old French Aalis, a short form of Adelais (Adelaide), from Germanic elements meaning “noble.” Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland fixed it in the imagination.
From Germanic 'ger' (spear) and 'thrud' (strength), so 'strong spear'. The 'spear' element is a weapon of war rather than 'warrior' outright, but the martial sense is well established.
Alice is more popular than Gertrude today: about 3,547 US babies were given the name Alice in 2025, compared with 0 named Gertrude.
Alice means Noble (Germanic origin), while Gertrude means Spear of strength (germanic origin).
In US records, Alice first appears in 1880 and Gertrude in 0, so Gertrude has the longer recorded history.