Gerhard

Gerard
Pronunciation	/ˈdʒɛrəd/, US /dʒəˈrɑrd/, French: [ʒeʁɑʁ]
Gender	male
Origin
Word/Name	Germanic
Meaning	strong and brave spear-wearer
Region of origin	common in regions where Germanic and/or Romance languages are spoken
Other names
Related names	Gerhar(d)t, Geert, Gerard/Gérard, Girard, Gerardo, Gertje, Gerrit, Jerry/Gerry.

Gerhard ( /ˈdʒɛrəd/ or US /dʒəˈrɑrd/; French: [ʒeʁɑʁ]) is a male forename of Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this case, those constituents are 'ger' (meaning 'spear') and 'hard' (meaning 'hard/strong/brave'). The meaning of the name is thus 'strong/brave with the spear'.

Common forms of the name are Gerard (English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, Polish and Catalan); Gerardo (Italian and Spanish); Gherardi (Gallo‒Italic, now only a surname); Gérard (Girard and Guérard, now only surnames, French); Gearóid (Irish); Gerhardt and Gerhart (Afrikaans Dutch, and German); Gellért (Hungarian); Gerardas (Lithuanian) and Gerards (Latvian). A few abbreviated forms are Gerry and Jerry (English and Irish); Gert and Gerd (Afrikaans, Dutch and German); Gerrit (Afrikaans and Dutch); Gertjie (Afrikaans), and Geert (Dutch).

The surname Ge(e)rdes is a patronymic form, ie. "the son of Ger(har)d", that originated in Frisia around 1800.

The name Gerald, while phonetically similar to Gerard, derives from a slightly different set of constituents, 'ger' and 'wald'. Its meaning is 'rule of the spear'.

Gerard

First name

Actors and artists

• Gerard Alessandrini (born 1953), American playwright and actor
• Gerard Butler (born 1969), Scottish actor
• Gerard David (1460–1523), Dutch painter
• Gérard Depardieu (born 1948), French actor
• Gerard McCarthy (born 1981), Northern Irish actor
• Gérard Oury (1919–2006), French film director
• Gérard Philipe (1922–1959), French actor
• Gerard ter Borch (1617–1681), Dutch painter
• Gerhard Richter (born 1932), German painter

Musicians

• Gerard Grisey (1946–1998), French composer
• Gerard Hoffnung (1925–1959), German-born British musician and humourist
• Gerard Joling (born 1960), Dutch singer
• Gerard McMahon, English singer-songwriter
• Gerhard Präsent (born 1957), Austrian composer
• Gerard Schwarz (born 1947), American conductor
• Gerard Way (born 1977), vocalist with the band My Chemical Romance

Politicians

• Gerry Adams (born 1948), Irish politician
• Gerry Brownlee (born 1956), New Zealand politician
• Gerard Kennedy (born 1960), Canadian politician
• Gérard Larcher (born 1949), French politician
• Gérard Latortue (born 1934), Haitian politician
• Gérard Pelletier (1919–1997), Canadian politician and diplomat
• Gérard Schivardi (born 1950), French politician
• Gerard Schouw (born 1965), Dutch politician

Religious leaders

• Gerard of Brogne (895-959)
• Gerard of Clairvaux (died 1138), Frankish abbot
• Gerard of Lunel (1275–1298), French saint
• Gerard of Toul (935-994), German priest
• Saint Gerard Majella (1726–1755)
• Gerard Sagredo (980-1046), Venetian bishop
• Gerard de Bourgogne (died 1061), known as Pope Nicholas II
• Gerard, Archbishop of York (died 1108), English clergyman

Scholars and writers

• Gerard of Cremona (1114–1187), Italian translator of scientific works
• Gérard Debreu (1921–2004), French-born American economist
• Gérard Genette (born 1930), French literary theorist
• Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–1889), British poet
• Gerard Jones (born 1957), American author
• Gerard Kuiper (1905–1973), American astronomer
• Gerard Garcia (born 1956), American engineer
• Gérard de Nerval (1808–1855), French poet
• Gerard O'Neill (1927–1992), American physicist
• Gerard Reve (1923–2006), Dutch writer
• Gérard de Sède (1921–2004), French author
• Gerard van Swieten (1700–1772), Dutch-Austrian physician
• Gérard de Vaucouleurs (1918–1995) was a French astronomer

Sportspersons

• Gerard Bosch van Drakestein (1887–1972), Dutch track cyclist
• Gerard Cieślik (born 1927), Polish football player
• Gérard Houllier (born 1947), French football manager
• Gérard Lelièvre (born 1949), French racewalker
• Gerard López (born 1979), Spanish football player
• Gerard Piqué (born 1987), Spanish football player
• Gerard van Velde (born 1971), Dutch speed skater
• Gerard Warren (born 1978), American football player

Last name

• Baron Gerard
• Gerard Baronets
  • Gilbert Gerard (1587–1670), English politician
  • Richard Gerard (1635–1680), English landowner
  • John Gerard (Jesuit) (died 1637)
• Eddie Gerard (1890–1937), Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach
• Emily Gerard (1849–1905), Scottish author
• Étienne Maurice Gérard (1773–1852), French general and politician
• François Gérard (1770–1837), French painter
• Geoff Gerard (born 1955), Australian rugby league player
• Gil Gerard (born 1943), American actor
• Gilbert Gerard (judge) (died 1593), English lawyer and judge
• Gilbert Gerard (theological writer) (1760–1815), Scottish writer
• James W. Gerard (1867–1951), American lawyer and diplomat
• Jim Gerard (born 1936), New Zealand politician
• John Gerard (1545–1612), English botanist
• Leo Gerard (born 1947), Canadian labour union leader
• Ralph W. Gerard (1900–1974), American neurophysiologist
• Richard Geoffrey Gerard (1904–1997), New Zealand politician
• Rosemonde Gérard (1871–1953), French poet and playwright
• Steven Gerrard (1980–), English footballer

Fiction

• Prince Gerard Himerce, the main hero of Gaiapolis
• Brigadier Gerard, fictional character in the novel The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard and other short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Joe Gerard, fictional character in the 1970s television series Rhoda
• Philip Gerard, fictional character in the television series The Fugitive
• Samuel Gerard, fictional character in the films The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals
• Gerard DuGalle, fictional character in the video game StarCraft: Brood War
• Gerard Duval, fictional character in the 1929 novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque
• Gérard, one of the characters from the Chronicles of Amber

Other uses

• Gerard (Aboriginal Council), Australia
• Gerard (band), Japanese g progressive rock band
• Gerard (crater)
• Gerardia, genus of flowering plants

Gerhard

First name

• Gerhard III (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark 1332-1340
• Gerhart Hauptmann (1882–1946), German dramatist
• Gerhard Müller, (born 1945), German player, 8th highest goalscorer of international football of all time
• Gerhard Neumann (1917-1997), Aircraft engine designer and executive
• Gerhard Richter (born 1932), German expressionist painter
• Gerhard Schröder (born 1944), German politician, Chancellor of Germany 1998-2005
• Gerhard (comics) (born 1959), Canadian artist
• Gerhard Berger (born 1959), Austrian racing driver
• Gerhard Mayer (born 1980), Austrian discus thrower

Surname

• Johann Gerhard (1582–1637), German religious leader
• Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard (1795–1867), German archaeologist
• Karl Gerhard (1891–1964), Swedish revue-writer and performer
• Roberto Gerhard (1896–1970), Spanish Catalan composer
• Peter Gerhard (1920–2006), American historical geographer
• Till Gerhard (born 1971), German painter
• Keegan Gerhard (born 1960), German pastry chef

See also

• Gerhardt
• Gerhart (disambiguation)
• Gerald (disambiguation)
• Gerrard (disambiguation)
• Girard (disambiguation)
• Guerard (disambiguation)