Gerlach
A German surname from an old personal name built on elements meaning “spear” and “play” or “movement,” though some later explanations are less certain.
The #4,784 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 41,756 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Gerlach is generally explained as coming from an old German personal name, Gerlac/Gerlach. The first element, ger-, means “spear,” a very common Germanic name element; the second element is less secure, but it has been linked in older scholarship to a word meaning “play,” “sport,” or “movement.” In plain terms, the name probably began as a given name with a martial sense rather than as a place name or occupation.
History
The surname is well established in German-speaking areas and appears in historical name lists and indexes as a standard German family name. English-language writers sometimes noted it alongside forms like Garlick, treating those as Anglicized or related spellings. Because some older surname books were speculative, the exact pathway from the old personal name to modern family names can vary by region and branch.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname writers sometimes connected Gerlach with English Garlick, but in many cases Garlick has a completely different origin and only looks similar.
From the historical record
“38 LUDUS PATRONYMICUS. GARLICK, i. q. the German name Gerlach ; from ger-leich, lich, warlike. GARMENT. The same name as Garman, Gorman, Jarman, German, Jermain ; from the 0. G. name Garmund (0. H. G. Germunt ; in the Landnamabok, Geirmundr) ; from ger-mund, a”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames