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Home › Baby Names Directory › Gertha

Gertha

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Gertha

Pronounced GUR-thuh /ˈɡɜːr.θə/High

Meaning: Gertha is a short, softened form in the Gertrude/Gerda family. Gertrude comes from Germanic elements usually read as 'spear' (ger) plus 'strength' or 'beloved', while Gerda is tied to the same 'ger', 'spear' element. Gertha keeps that inherited Germanic sense in a trimmed, American-friendly spelling.Medium

In 30 seconds: Gertha is a trimmed form of Gertrude or Gerda (said 'GUR-thuh'), from a Germanic root meaning 'spear'. It reads as a sturdy, old-world early-century name.
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Origin MediumGermanic
MeaningGertha is a short, softened form in the Gertrude/Gerda family. Gertrude comes from Germanic elements usually read as 'spear' (ger) plus 'strength' or 'beloved', while Gerda is tied to the same 'ger', 'spear' element. Gertha keeps that inherited Germanic sense in a trimmed, American-friendly spelling.
U.S. rank (1971)#8745 ↘ Falling
1971 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)≈ 1,792

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192118831971

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

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Gertha is a short form within the Gertrude and Gerda group, all built on the Germanic element 'ger', 'spear'. It appears in American records largely through German-heritage families in the late eighteen-hundreds and early nineteen-hundreds, offering a lighter, less formal alternative to the full Gertrude.

Gertha crested near sixty girls a year around 1921 and then declined through the century, all but vanishing by its close. A woman given it at its peak would be of the World War I generation, and it reads today as a firmly vintage Germanic name with no current revival.

Did you know? Gertha rose during the same early-century wave that carried Gertrude, Gerda and Gertie — a cluster of Germanic 'spear' names that felt solid and respectable to immigrant and Midwestern families alike.
Overall data confidence 60%
References — Gertha — short form of Gertrude/Gerda; Germanic 'spear'

Variations

GerdaGertrudeGertie

Nicknames

GertGertie

Famous Bearers

  • Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Gertha…

Gertie— the affectionate short form of the same family
Gertrude— the full formal name Gertha trims
Bertha— a like Germanic -tha vintage name of the same era
Birtha— the same vintage feel
Geri— another vintage pick

Explore names like Gertha

By themevintagegermanicbelovedstrengthantique

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Gertha mean?

Gertha is a form of Gertrude or Gerda, from a Germanic root meaning 'spear'.

How do you pronounce Gertha?

It's said GUR-thuh /ˈɡɜːr.θə/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Gertha a boy or girl name?

Gertha is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Gertha?

Gertha was an uncommon Germanic name that crested in the early nineteen-twenties and has been rare ever since.

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