Where does “Gerard” come from?
Gerard (Dutch) comes from Old French Gerart, from Frankish Gaiʀahard, from Proto-West Germanic gaiʀ, from Proto-Germanic gaizaz, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰoysós, from Proto-Indo-European ǵʰey- — winter.
Ancestry of “Gerard”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | Gerart | — |
| 2 | Frankish | Gaiʀahard | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | gaiʀ | spear |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | gaizaz | spear, pike, javelin |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰoysós | throwing spear |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ǵʰey- | winter |