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/ˈdʒɛrərd/, US /dʒᵻˈrɑːrd/, Old French: [dʒeʁɑʁ] common in regions where Germanic and/or Romance languages are spoken Gerhar(d)t, Geert, Gérard, Guérard, Gerhardus, Girard, Gerardo, Gertje, Gerrit, Jerry/Gerry, Жоро. |
Gerard (/ˈdʒɛrərd/ or /dʒᵻˈrɑːrd/; Old French: [dʒerɑrd]) is a male forename of Old Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this case, those constituents are gari > ger- (meaning 'spear') and -hard (meaning 'hard/strong/brave').
Common forms of the name are Gerard (English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, Polish and Catalan); Gerrard (English, Scottish, Irish); Gerardo (Italian, Portuguese and Spanish); Gherardo (Italian); Gherardi (Northern Italian, now only a surname); Gérard (variant forms Girard and Guérard, now only surnames, French); Gearóid (Irish); Gerhardt and Gerhart/Gerhard/Gerhardus (Afrikaans, Dutch, and German); Gellért (Hungarian); Gerardas (Lithuanian) and Gerards/Ģirts (Latvian); Γεράρδης (Greece). A few abbreviated forms are Gerry and Jerry (English); Gerd (German) and Gert (Afrikaans and Dutch); Gerrit (Afrikaans and Dutch); Gertjie (Afrikaans); Geert (Dutch) and Жоро (Bulgarian).
The introduction of the name 'Gerard' into the English language took place following the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Its original forms in Old French were “Gerard, Gerart” [dʒeʁɑʁ] and “Girart”.
The surname Ge(e)rdes is a patronymic form, i.e. "the son of Ger(har)d", that originated in Frisia around 1800.
The name Gerald, while phonetically similar to Gerard, derives from a slightly different set of constituents: ger and wald (meaning 'rule/lead').
Actors and artists
Gerard Alessandrini (born 1953), American playwright and actor
Gerard Butler (born 1969), Scottish actor
Gerard David (1460–1523), Dutch painter
Gerard McCarthy (born 1981), Northern Irish actor
Gérard Rondeau (1953-2016), French photographer
Gerard ter Borch (1617–1681), Dutch painter
Gerard Valck (1652–1726), Dutch engraver
Musicians
Gerard Hoffnung (1925–1959), German-born British musician and humourist
Gerard Joling (born 1960), Dutch singer
Gerard McMahon, English singer-songwriter
Gerard Schwarz (born 1947), American conductor
Gerard Way (born 1977), American singer-songwriter and comic book writer
Gerard Victory (born 1921), prolific Irish composer
Politicians
Gerry Adams (born 1948), Irish politician
Gerry Brownlee (born 1956), New Zealand politician
Gerard Kennedy (born 1960), Canadian politician
Gerard Schouw (born 1965), Dutch politician
Religious leaders
Saint Gerard of Toul (935-994), German bishop
Saint Gerard Sagredo (980-1046), Venetian bishop
Gerard de Bourgogne (died 1061), known as Pope Nicholas II
Gerard, Archbishop of York (died 1108), English archbishop
Gerard Thom (1040–1120), founder of the Knights Hospitaller
Saint Gerard of Clairvaux (died 1138), Frankish abbot
Saint Gerardo dei Tintori (c. 1134 – 1207), Italian saint
Saint Gerard of Lunel (1275–1298), French saint
Saint Gerard Majella (1726–1755), Italian saint
Scholars and writers
Gerard Adriaan Acket (born 1935), Dutch electrical engineer
Gerard J. van den Berg (born 1962), Dutch econometrician
Gerard of Cremona (1114–1187), Italian translator of scientific works
Gérard Davet (born 1966), French investigative journalist
Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889), British poet
Gerard Jones (born 1957), American author
Gerard Kuiper (1905–1973), American astronomer
Gerard Garcia (born 1956), American engineer
Gerard McKeown (born 1980), Irish writer
Gerard O'Neill (1927–1992), American physicist
Gerard Reve (1923–2006), Dutch writer
Gerard van Swieten (1700–1772), Dutch-Austrian physician
Sportspersons
Gerard Bosch van Drakestein (1887–1972), Dutch track cyclist
Gerard Cieślik (born 1927), Polish football player
Gerard López (born 1979), Spanish football player
Gerard Piqué (born 1987), Spanish football player
Gerard van Velde (born 1971), Dutch speed skater
Gerard Warren (born 1978), American football player
Gerard Deulofeu (born 1994), Spanish football player
Police
Gerard Van Helden (1848–1901), Detective Superintendent in the Birmingham City Police
Alexander Gerard (1728–1795), Scottish church minister and academic
Alexander Gerard (explorer) (1792–1839), Scottish army officer and Himalayan explorer
A. E. Gerard (1877–1950), Alfred Edward Gerard, founder of several South Australian electrical businesses
Alphonso Gerard (1916–2002), Negro league baseball player
Baron Gerard
Gerard baronets
Gilbert Gerard (1587–1670), English politician
Richard Gerard (1635–1680), English landowner
John Gerard (Jesuit) (died 1637)
Eddie Gerard (1890–1937), Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach
Emily Gerard (1849–1905), Scottish author
Étienne Maurice Gérard (1773–1852), French general and politician
Geoff Gerard (born 1955), Australian rugby league player
Gil Gerard (born 1943), American actor
Gilbert Gerard (judge) (died 1593), English lawyer and judge
Gilbert Gerard (theological writer) (1760–1815), Scottish writer
James W. Gerard (1867–1951), American lawyer and diplomat
Jim Gerard (born 1936), New Zealand politician
John Gerard (1545–1612), English botanist
Leo Gerard (born 1947), Canadian labour union leader
Ralph W. Gerard (1900–1974), American neurophysiologist
Richard Geoffrey Gerard (1904–1997), New Zealand politician
Robert Gerard (born 1944) South Australian electrical merchant and manufacturer
Prince Gerard Himerce, the main hero of Gaiapolis
Brigadier Gerard in the novel Uncle Bernac and the short story anthologies The Adventures of Gerard and "The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, by Arthur Conan Doyle
Joe Gerard, husband of the title character in the 1970s television series Rhoda
Philip Gerard, pursuer of the title character in the television series The Fugitive
Samuel Gerard, in the films The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals
Gerard DuGalle, in the video game StarCraft: Brood War
Gerard Duval, in the 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Gérard, in the Chronicles of Amber novel series by Roger Zelazny
Gerard Argent, a werewolf hunter and antagonist in MTV's cult television show Teen Wolf.
Marcel Gerard, a vampire and ruler of the New Orleans supernatural community in The CW network's television series The Originals.
Gerard Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA