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 [ 2 syll. ge-rar(d), ger-a-rd ] The boy name Gerard is pronounced as JHerAARD KEY. Gerard is largely used in the English, French, and Dutch languages, and it is derived from Germanic origins. The name is of the meaning brave with the spear. Two-element name derived from the elements 'ger' meaning spear ; 'hart' meaning brave, hardy. Gairhard (Germanic) and Gerart (Germanic) are original forms of Gerard. The name was introduced by the Normans to England in the 11th century, and was used more commonly than the similar name Gerald in the Middle Ages. The name was used regularly till the 17th century and saw a revival in the 19th century. It has an aristocratic flavor to it, and is today used mainly by Roman Catholics. The name Gerharde (German) is the female equivalent of Gerard. Gerard has 26 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of Gerard used in English include Garet, Garett, Garret, Garrett, Geraud (also used in French), Gerhard (also used in German and Scandinavian), Jarred, Jarrett, and Jerard. Other English forms include the pet forms Ged, Geddy, Gerry (also used in German), and Jerry (also used in German), and the variant spellings Gerrard and Jerrard. Foreign variants of Gerard include Gerardo (Spanish and Italian), Gerardus (Dutch), Gerd (German), Gerhart (German and Scandinavian), Gerit (Frisian), Gero (German), Gerrit (Frisian), Gérard (French), Gherardo (Italian), and Kai (Frisian, Dutch, Finnish, German, Scandinavian, and Welsh). Another foreign variant is the pet form Gert (German). Gerard is an English and French variant of the name Gerald (English and German). Gerard is unusual as a baby name for boys. Its usage peaked modestly in 1956 with 0.075% of baby boys being given the name Gerard. Its ranking then was #180. The baby name has since dropped out of favor, and is now of sporadic use. In 2008, among the group of boy names directly linked to Gerard, Garrett (English) was the most frequently used. Baby names that sound like Gerard include Gérard (French), Jerard (English), Gerado (Spanish), Gerahd (Russian), Geraud (French and English), Gerit (Frisian), Gerod (English), Gerrard (English), Gerrit (Frisian), Jared (English), Jarod (English), Jarrett (English), Jarrid (English), Jarrod (English), Jerod (English), Jerrard (English), Jerrid (English), Jerrod (English), Jordi (Catalan), and Jordie (English). A famous person named Gerard is Actor, Gerard Butler, born 13 November 1969, Glasgow, Scotland. KEY: Pronunciation for Gerard: JH as in "gee (JH.IY)" ; ER as in "hurt (HH.ER.T)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; R as in "read (R.IY.D)" ; D as in "dee (D.IY)"   |
