Gerard
A Norman surname from a personal name meaning “spear-hard” or “brave with the spear,” later linked with the related name Gerald.
The #3,914 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,022 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Gerard comes from a Norman personal name ultimately built from Germanic elements meaning “spear” and “hardy/strong,” so the original sense was something like “strong with the spear.” In medieval records it appears as a hereditary surname in forms such as filius Gerardi, showing that it began as a name derived from an ancestor’s given name. Some 19th-century writers treated it as essentially the same as Gerald, and the two names were often closely connected in medieval usage.
History
The name was brought to England by the Normans and is well attested in medieval records. Lower notes a prominent Cheshire and Lancashire Gerard line, later associated with the baronet’s family and other noble houses. Related spellings and surnames such as Girard and Gerardin reflect the same continental name-base.
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Fun fact
Medieval forms like fil' Gerardi literally mean “son of Gerard,” a reminder that many surnames began as labels for descendants of a well-known ancestor.
From the historical record
“given rise to any diminutive or derivative. GERARD. A Norman personal name, probably identical with Gerald. In the H.R. it is written Fil' Gerardi. The baronet's family derive their origin from the same ancestor as the Dukes of Leiuster and many other noble houses, viz., from Other, Cas- tellan of AViudsor, temp.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom