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Home › Baby Names Directory › Gerard

Gerard

♂ Boy

Pronounced juh-RARD /dʒə.ˈɹɑɹd/Medium

Meaning: Brave with the spear (Germanic ger 'spear' + hard 'brave')Medium

In 30 seconds: Gerard is a Germanic name meaning 'brave with the spear', from 'ger' (spear) and 'hard' (brave).
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Origin MediumEnglish, Germanic, Dutch
MeaningBrave with the spear (Germanic ger 'spear' + hard 'brave')
U.S. rank (2025)#1713 ↘ Falling
2025 U.S. births95 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1956
Total births (all-time)≈ 58,816

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 195618862025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Built from the Germanic elements 'ger', a spear, and 'hard', brave or hardy, Gerard reads as a warrior's name promising courage in battle. It settled comfortably into English use while keeping that martial edge. The two clean syllables have stayed steady and recognizable over a long stretch of time.

Across languages the name shifts shape into Gerhard in German and Gerrit in Dutch, while English keeps spellings like Gerrard and Jerrard. Scottish actor Gerard Butler, known for 300, carries it today.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Gerard is 'spear', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Gerard — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

GerrardJerrardGerhardGerritCai

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Gerard Butler (born 1969)
    Scottish actor known for films such as 300 and Olympus Has Fallen.

If you like Gerard…

Clifford— a fellow English choice
Shepherd— a similarly popular pick
Crawford— lands in the same popularity range
Howard— shares Gerard's Germanic roots
Gary— another English name

Explore names like Gerard

By themeenglishdutch
By meaningBrave / Courage

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Gerard mean?

Gerard is usually explained as meaning 'spear' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Gerard?

It's commonly said juh-RARD /dʒə.ˈɹɑɹd/.

Is Gerard a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Gerard is used as a boy name.

How popular is Gerard?

In 2024, Gerard ranked #1529 in the U.S. for boys, with 115 births recorded.

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