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Geronimo

♂ Boy

Pronounced jə-RON-i-moh /dʒəˈrɑn.ɪ.moʊ/High

Meaning: Spanish-Italian form of Jerome — Greek Hieronymos, 'sacred name' — historically attached to the Apache leader GoyahklaHigh

In 30 seconds: A saint's name that became a war cry: Geronimo is Jerome — 'sacred name' — in Spanish, and the name history fixed on the Apache resistance leader born Goyahkla. Paratroopers still shout it jumping.
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Origin HighSpanish, Greek, Apache
MeaningSpanish-Italian form of Jerome — Greek Hieronymos, 'sacred name' — historically attached to the Apache leader Goyahkla
U.S. rank (2024)#3401 ↗ Rising
2024 U.S. births34 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2009
Total births (all-time)≈ 3,052

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 200919062024

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Geronimo is the Spanish-Italian Jerome — Greek Hieronymos, 'sacred name', the Bible-translating saint's name — which Mexican soldiers attached to the Chiricahua Apache leader Goyahkla ('one who yawns'), whose decades of resistance made the name legend. The paratrooper shout and pop culture spread it further than any saint did.

As a given name it lives in Italian (Girolamo's circle), Spanish, and admiring American use — rare, four-syllable, and impossible to say quietly. Families honoring the Apache leader carry it with particular intent.

Did you know? U.S. paratroopers began yelling 'Geronimo!' on jumps in 1940 after watching a Geronimo film the night before a test jump — a name leaping from history into freefall.
Overall data confidence 85%
Behind the Name — Geronimo — etymology

Variations

JeromeJeronimoGirolamo

Nicknames

GeroMomo

Famous Bearers

  • ★Geronimo (1829–1909)
    Chiricahua Apache leader, born Goyahkla, who led resistance to U.S. and Mexican expansion.

If you like Geronimo…

Jerome— the English form of the same sacred name
Santiago— a fellow Spanish saint's name with warrior history
Jeronimo— the accent-true Spanish spelling
Demetrius— shares Geronimo's Greek roots
Patricio— lands in the same popularity range

Browse the whole category: All Spanish names →  ·  All Greek names →  ·  All Apache names →  ·  All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Geronimo mean?

Geronimo is the Spanish form of Jerome, Greek for 'sacred name', historically attached to the Apache leader Goyahkla.

How do you pronounce Geronimo?

It's said jə-RON-i-moh /dʒəˈrɑn.ɪ.moʊ/ — four syllables, stress on the second.

Is Geronimo a boy or girl name?

Geronimo is a boy's name.

How popular is Geronimo?

Geronimo is a rare name in the U.S.