| Gertrude | Emery | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Spear of strength | Brave, powerful |
| Origin | germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | GUR-trood | EM-uh-ree |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1906 |
| Peak year | 1917 (6,300) | 2025 (3,208) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 3,208 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Gertrude | Emery |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 171 | 18,408 |
| 2010s | 236 | 20,971 |
| 2000s | 135 | 3,550 |
| 1990s | 102 | 571 |
| 1980s | 188 | 172 |
| 1970s | 380 | 55 |
| 1960s | 1,250 | 12 |
| 1950s | 3,936 | 14 |
| 1940s | 7,936 | 10 |
| 1930s | 16,137 | 12 |
| 1920s | 42,459 | 46 |
| 1910s | 49,565 | 11 |
| 1900s | 23,607 | 5 |
| 1890s | 19,898 | 0 |
| 1880s | 11,100 | 0 |
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.
From the Germanic Emmerich — amal (work) and ric (power) — “brave, powerful ruler.”
Emery is more popular than Gertrude today: about 3,208 US babies were given the name Emery in 2025, compared with 0 named Gertrude.
Gertrude means Spear of strength (germanic origin), while Emery means Brave, powerful (Germanic origin).
In US records, Gertrude first appears in 0 and Emery in 1906, so Gertrude has the longer recorded history.