Girard
A French surname from the medieval given name Girard, meaning “spear-brave” or “brave with the spear.”
The #2,778 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,795 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Girard is the French form of the medieval personal name Gérard/Gerard, ultimately from Germanic elements meaning “spear” and “hard, brave, strong.” In other words, the name began as a byname or given name expressing martial strength, then passed into hereditary surname use. The excerpts also point to diminutive forms such as Girardot, showing the same French name-family in use.
History
The surname is long established in France and French-speaking areas, and it also spread into England through Norman and later French influence. Some 19th-century surname writers noted Girard as a French import and linked related forms like Girardot to post-Reformation French immigration. In the United States it is now present but comparatively uncommon, which fits a surname with French and immigrant roots.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Germanic name-root behind Girard also lies behind a wide family of surnames across Europe, including Gerard, Gerrard, and Gerhardt.
From the historical record
“air&rdot — Bapt. ' the son of Gerard,' dim. Girard-ot. A French :, an immtgrstion. Lowersays me in after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. London, I ; Crockbrd, i; New York, 1.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances