| Gertrude | Adeline | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Spear of strength | Noble |
| Origin | germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | GUR-trood | AD-uh-line |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1917 (6,300) | 2016 (4,120) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 3,864 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Gertrude | Adeline |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 171 | 19,006 |
| 2010s | 236 | 23,383 |
| 2000s | 135 | 5,719 |
| 1990s | 102 | 1,180 |
| 1980s | 188 | 493 |
| 1970s | 380 | 348 |
| 1960s | 1,250 | 532 |
| 1950s | 3,936 | 905 |
| 1940s | 7,936 | 1,619 |
| 1930s | 16,137 | 3,450 |
| 1920s | 42,459 | 9,917 |
| 1910s | 49,565 | 8,985 |
| 1900s | 23,607 | 2,646 |
| 1890s | 19,898 | 1,697 |
| 1880s | 11,100 | 932 |
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.
A French elaboration of Germanic adal, “noble.”
Adeline is more popular than Gertrude today: about 3,864 US babies were given the name Adeline in 2025, compared with 0 named Gertrude.
Gertrude means Spear of strength (germanic origin), while Adeline means Noble (Germanic origin).
In US records, Gertrude first appears in 0 and Adeline in 1880, so Gertrude has the longer recorded history.