Gerard

For other uses, see Gerard (disambiguation).

Gerard
Pronunciation	/ˈdʒɛrəd/, US /dʒəˈrɑːrd/, Old French: [dʒeʁɑʁ]
Gender	male
Origin
Word/name	Germanic
Meaning	strong and brave spear-wearer
Region of origin	common in regions where Germanic and/or Romance languages are spoken
Other names
Related names	Gerhar(d)t, Geert, Gérard, Gerhardus, Girard, Gerardo, Gertje, Gerrit, Jerry/Gerry, Жоро.

Gerard (/ˈdʒɛrəd/ or US /dʒəˈrɑːrd/; 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). A few abbreviated forms are Gerry and Jerry (English); Gert and Gerd (Afrikaans, Dutch and German); Gerrit (Afrikaans and Dutch); Gertjie (Afrikaans); Geert (Gronings, Dutch), Γεράρδης (Greece) 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').

First name

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
• 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, Dutch electrical engineer
• Gerard of Cremona (1114–1187), Italian translator of scientific works
• 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

Last name

• 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)
• Alfred Gerard (1877–1950) founder of South Australian electrical businesses
• 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

Fictional characters

• 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

See also

• Gérard
• Gerhard
• Gerhardt
• Garrett
• Gerhart (disambiguation)
• Gerald (disambiguation)
• Gerrard (disambiguation)
• Girard (disambiguation)
• Guerard (disambiguation)