Gerard

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Boy · Germanic

Gerard

Say it: JER-ard

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Germanic ger 'spear' and hard 'hard, brave'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Introduced by the Normans.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1950s

In the United States

58,334 babies given this name since 1886
At its height in 1956, about 1 in 1,300 boys
119 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English French German

The family of the name

Other spellings: Gerrard

German	Gerhard
French	Gérard
Italian	Gherardo

Names worth a look

HubertBoyFrom Germanic hug 'heart, mind' and berht 'bright'.Early Medieval · peak 1916 · forgotten

AbelBoyHebrew Hevel, usually understood as 'breath, vapour'.Biblical · peak 2015

NealBoyA spelling of Neil, from Irish Niall, whose meaning is uncertain ('champion' and 'cloud' have been proposed).Middle Ages · peak 1952 · forgotten

GeoffreyBoyGermanic, but the source is debated: perhaps Gottfried, or a blend of names ending in frid 'peace'.Middle Ages · peak 1975

NoelBoyFrom Old French noel 'Christmas'.Middle Ages · peak 2014

SimonBoyGreek form used for Hebrew Shim'on (Simeon, 'he has heard'); Simōn was also an existing Greek name meaning 'snub-nosed'.Biblical · peak 2015

GerardoBoyThe Spanish and Italian form of Gerard, from Germanic gēr 'spear' and hard 'brave, hardy'.Middle Ages · peak 2000

Where this comes from

The Domesday Book (1086) source
Medieval European charters and records
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.