Behind the Name: Search Results

Comments for GERTRUDE:

St. Gertrude of Nivelles is the patron saint of cats and those who love them. I think Gertrude is a really beautiful name, and parents shouldn't be afraid of its "ugly" reputation.
-- Sarah Charlotte 2/3/2005

In the USSR this name could also mean "Hero Of Labour" from the Russian words geroy meaning "hero" and trud meaning "labour".
-- Catra 3/26/2005

My grandmother Gertrude saved many lives during WWII by participating in the Dutch underground. Our daughter's middle name is Gertrude in honour of my grandmother who I never met. My daughter, now 8, loves the meaning of her name.
-- gilda-marie 5/4/2005

My only reason for disliking this name is that it reminds me of Hamlet, a play which you could say I dislike, but I agree that parents should not be put of by its 'ugly' reputation.
-- Gianna 6/6/2005

It's actually nice but most people think of it as an ugly "old lady name". I personally like it but I do NOT recommend it because your child might be teased.
-- scorpio93 6/11/2005

My grandma's name was "Gertrud", without the "e" at the end. She once told me it means as much as "the one who carries a spear".
-- Paganqueen 7/16/2005

I started tracing my family tree a couple of months ago and have found 5 Gertrudes up to 1891 but none after that. The last one was known by her middle name, according to my family, this is because she thought it was old fashioned even then. I quite like it though.
-- Anonymous User 8/17/2005

This is a lovely archaic name that Shakespeare assigned to Hamlet's incestuous mother, the Queen of Denmark.
-- Arrows 11/22/2005

Sounds like an ancient grandmother to me. Not a very nice name for a child!
-- Anonymous User 1/14/2006

That awful movie, Jersey Girl, had a character named Gertrude.
-- Anonymous User 1/15/2006

Gertrude is the name of the mother of Actress/Ambassador Shirley Temple.
-- Lakota_so_italian 1/24/2006

Dutch pronunciation is kher-TRUY-duh. [noted -ed]
-- X-Mar 2/21/2006

Ludwig van Beethoven had a pupil named Gertrude, for whom he wrote a piece, which he called "For Gertrude." The other piece he wrote for a pupil is more famous: "For Elizabeth," or "Fur Elise."
-- Anonymous User 7/6/2006

Gertrude the Bird is a character in the musical Seussical.
-- SerasVictoria 7/22/2006

This is such a strong, queenly and charming name. I love Gertrude but I like Gertrudis more.
-- Anonymous User 8/6/2006

This name is also very rarely a male name. It just barely made the list of top 1000 male names in the United States during the first decade of the 20th century.
-- FreedomsPaladin 8/7/2006

I guess it could be nice, but so many people think of it as an old lady name, it just gives out that impression. It's not particularly pretty though.
-- Anonymous User 9/13/2006

No offence to any Gertrudes, but I don't like this name. It would be a ridiculous thing to call a child, not recommended.
-- Anonymous User 10/10/2006

Awful name, I'm sorry! Lovely meaning, but awful sound.
-- nothingshortoftragic 12/30/2006

And "old lady name", maybe, but these older women started out as little girls, did they not? And I think that it has a pretty ring to it, although it is not the nicest name.

And shouldn't it be pronounced "GER-trood" or "GER-trood-a" instead of "GUR-trood"? Why do we English speakers slur our vowels so often?

And if you don't like this name for a little girl, use the pet name "Trudy". That way it's not quite so bad.
-- gaelruadh19 1/17/2007

I personally love the name Gertrude and I'm hoping that in fifteen or so years it won't be considered such an "old lady" name. However, I would still use it if it is considered such, and as the previous poster said, use the nickname Trudy.
-- Anonymous User 1/29/2007

Gertrude Stein (American writer who spent most of her life in France) was a famous bearer.
-- Anonymous User 2/20/2007

Ugh! I can't stand that name! I always think of it as a name to use for an unlikeable character in a story, and it seems comical as well because it sounds so old fashioned and ugly. Sorry but it's my least favourite name and if my parents called me that I would never forgive them.
-- lisa_7 4/11/2007

I love the meaning, but I personally don't like the way the name sounds. I can understand why someone would want this name for their daughter, though. There's so much history behind it.
-- scarletquillraven 7/5/2007

Well, I personally would never in a million years name my child Gertrude, though I do think the nickname "Gertie" is adorable.
-- gracielou16 7/13/2007

Gertrude Banda was a famous British/Indonesian spy during the first half of the 20th century. She was a double agent between the British and the Japanese in World War II, and also a spy for the USA (through the British) in the Korean Conflict. She was rumored to be the daughter of Mata Hari.
-- Anonymous User 12/2/2007

This is definitely an old lady name, no offense to those Gertrudes out there. I just don't think that a child has to be punished with this name. Again, no offense. This name was mostly used in the early 1900s and should stay that way. Face it : Gertrude is no longer in style, if it ever was. So please; don't burden your precious little girl with this name. She deserves better.
-- Rowanne 12/3/2007

This is my grandmother's name, Gertrude May (born 1928) and she likes her name and hates nicknames. I don't see why it isn't a perfectly good name for anyone. At least a daughter of today with this name would not be the fifth Jade or Taylor in her class! It was thought a beautiful name before, it could be, again. The "old ladies" who have this name were once cute little girls, and attractive women! In one hundred years people will be saying that Tiffany sounds like an old lady's name. :) It's just a matter of what we're accustomed to hearing.
-- Anonymous User 1/6/2008

I actually really like Gertrude. It has a bit of 1920s classy feel to it, and it has, for some I suppose, the connotations of Gertrude Stein. However, I dislike "Trudy."
-- wordybookworm 1/18/2008

Gertrude is the city of Carvahall's healer in Christopher Paolini's books.
-- Carriebear_Nocare 1/22/2008

A famous bearer was English actress Gertrude Lawrence (July 4, 1898 - September 6, 1952). She won a Tony Award for her role as Anna Leonowens in the first Broadway production of the popular musical "The King and I" in 1952.
-- AndrewJKD 3/12/2008

One thing I don't understand is why I don't like this name. It means "spear of strength" (I think spears are cool), and it's the name of Hamlet's mum (Hamlet was a cool play). Those assosiations alone ought to make me think it's cool, but I don't. I agree with everyone who's said they think it's an "old lady name". It IS rather dated, in my opinion.
-- Pippin 3/15/2008

A famous bearer was American children's author Gertrude Chandler War (April 16, 1890 - August 30, 1979). She is best known as the creator of the Boxcar Children book series, first published in 1942. She wrote a total of 19 Boxcar Children stories. Since her death, more than 120 additional titles have been written.
-- AndrewJKD 4/14/2008

You won't get compliments from me about this name. The name is old-fashioned, of course, but that's not the worst aspect of it. The name just sounds ugly, and the nicknames Gertie and Trudy are bad. Gertie is too childish for a grown-up, and Trudy sounds like Rudy, which is an ugly name as well.
-- slight night shiver 4/23/2008

Gertrude is also a French name. It's very rare, however, because many people think it's quite ugly.
-- Marie-Amelie 5/16/2008

I have to say in comparison to the misused Madison and Kennedy, this name is 'prettier'.
-- Anonymous User 6/3/2008

Goddamn, this always reminds me of a cat lady's name. Surprisingly, somebody said a St. Gertrude was a patron saint of cats.
-- Sandcrawler 6/25/2008

Gertrude is a HIDEOUS name.
-- yohevid 9/26/2008

It's ugly and old-fashioned, but at least it's not Mildred or Bertha.
-- bananarama 10/7/2008

This name makes me want to puke it's so ugly.
-- snickerdoodle 10/16/2008

As well as being a hideous old lady name, it also has the word rude in it.
-- Hushpuppy 10/27/2008

Gertrude Baniszewski was an Indiana divorcee who murdered Sylvia Likens in 1965.
-- Joe-Bob-McRobert 11/11/2008

The Italian pronunciation is jehrr-TROO-deh. However it is hardly ever used in Italy.
-- presentperfect 12/21/2008

A bearer of sorts was Hikaru Sulu's Weeper plant in the Enterprise's botanical garden in Star Trek's first season episode The Man Trap. He called the plant Gertrude but yeoman Rand insisted it was a boy plant ("A girl can tell") and called it Beauregard instead.
-- nenmo 3/30/2009

It does sound like an "old lady's name", but I still really like it. I love the meaning, and for some reason the pronunciation doesn't bother me. I think it's alright to use it as a character's name.
-- CanadianChibi 4/18/2009

This was the name of the little girl in Jersey Girl.
-- Carolyna 4/29/2009

Gertrude Jekyll (born 29 November 1843 � died 8 December 1932) was a British gardener and a very important horticultural influence of the latter 19th century and early 20th century. :) A great gardener.
-- walesgal92 5/2/2009

Listen to the German pronunciation of Gertrude here:
http://www.nordicnames.de/Aussprache.html
-- _satu_ 5/11/2009

Gertrude has been considered an "old ladies' name" for as long as I've been alive (56 yrs). Of course, the names that were popular when I was a child (Karen, Carol, Linda) are rapidly turning into "old lady names" in their own right. Name trackers have noted that many an old fashioned name has made a comeback in recent decades (Emma, Emily), but the savviest commentators have noted that these are "vowel rich" names whereas "Gertrude" is heavy with consonants. This tendency would likely work against Mildred, say, as well. Someone above pointed out that Gertrude "contains" the word "rude," and therefore has negative connotations. Etymologically, of course, it has nothing to do with "rudeness," but we're talking subjective impressions. Doesn't help that Mildred "contains" the word "dread" either, I suppose.

BTW, Drew Barrymore's character in ET was called "Gertie," but it wasn't clear what her actual given name was. It could have been an "off-the-wall" nickname for all we know.
-- gbcallahan 6/29/2009

The German pronunciation is ger-TROO-də. [noted -ed]
-- mafiosa 8/6/2009

I don't like this. Not nice at all on young girls.
-- Anonymous User 11/11/2009

Yes, it's hideous. Makes me think of a squawking bird.
-- slyboots 11/15/2009

Key: Meaning/History Usage Pronunciation Famous Bearer Personal Impression Other

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