Gender Feminine
Pronounced Pron. GUR-trood(English) ZHEHR-TRUYD(French) gehr-TROO-də(German)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Means "spear of strength", derived from the Old German elements ger "spear" and drud "strength". Saint Gertrude the Great was a 13th-century nun and mystic writer from Thuringia. It was probably introduced to England by settlers from the Low Countries in the 15th century. Shakespeare used the name in his play Hamlet (1600) for the mother of Hamlet. Another famous bearer was the American writer Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).

Related Names

VariantsGertraud, Gertrud(German)
DiminutivesGertie, Trudi, Trudie, Trudy(English) Gerta, Gerti, Gesine, Traudl, Trudi(German)
Other Languages & CulturesGertruda(Czech) Geertruida, Geertje, Gertie, Gertruida, Trudie, Trudy, Truus(Dutch) Kertu, Kärt(Estonian) Kerttu(Finnish) Geretrudis, Gertrud(Germanic) Gertrúd(Hungarian) Geltrude(Italian) Gertrūda(Lithuanian) Trude(Norwegian) Gaizaþrūþiz(Old Germanic) Gertruda(Polish) Gertrudes(Portuguese) Gertrúda(Slovak) Gertrudis(Spanish) Gertrud(Swedish)
User SubmissionĢertrūde

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   strange   serious  

Name Days

France: November 16
Latvia: March 17 (as Ģertrūde)

Images

Hamlet and His Mother (Gertrude) by Eugène Delacroix (1830)Hamlet and His Mother (Gertrude) by Eugène Delacroix (1830)

Categories

Entry updated June 9, 2023