Gerald
Meaning: Its source is ger wald, an Ancient Germanic name meaning "Ruling spear."
In French, this name is spelled with an accent -- Gérald.
Origin: "ger wald."
Languages: This boy's name is used in German, English and French.
Popularity: The name Gerald ranked 416th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 58th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name makes a strong showing in state popularity data of the 1960s, but makes few (if any) appearances on lists compiled after that period.
Narrative: Other possible interpretations of the source term include ''expert spearman,'' ''spear of the ruler,'' and the equivalent of the contemporary expression ''straight shooter.''
Leadership
- Gerald R. Ford (born 1913, died 2006)
Became the 38th President of the U.S. upon the resignation of Richard Nixon.
- U.S. President, 1974-77 (see list of Presidents of the United States)
- Gerald Greenwald
- CEO of Fortune 500 company UAL (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Gerald F. Lestina
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Roundy''s (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Gerald M. Levin
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Time Warner (see list of 1996 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- CEO of Fortune 500 company Time Warner (see list of 2000 Fortune 500 Company CEOs)
- Gerald Bard Tjoflat
American judge.
- Circuit Judge, Eleventh Circuit Court (see list of Judges of the U.S. Courts of Appeals)
Miscellaneous
- Gerald R. Ford (born 1913, died 2006)
Became the 38th President of the U.S. upon the resignation of Richard Nixon.
- 1999 recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom (see list of Presidential Medal of Freedom Winners)
Science and Philosophy
- Gerald P. Carr
American astronaut.
- Astronaut on Skylab 4 (1973) (see list of Spaceflight Veterans)
- Gerald M. Edelman (born 1929)
American biochemist known for his work on the chemical structure of antibodies.
- 1972 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine, with Rodney Porter (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine)
Sports
- Gerald Groswold
Skier.
- Elected to the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame in 1987 (see list of Members of the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame)
- Gerald L. Patterson
- 1919, 1922 Wimbledon tennis champion (see list of Wimbledon Tennis Champions)
- 1927 Australian Open tennis champion (see list of Australian Open Tennis Champions)
The Literary World
- Gerald Burlingame
Fictional character.
- The title character of Stephen King''s novel Gerald''s Game (see list of Characters in Gerald's Game)
- Gerald H. Gay
- 1975 Pulitzer Prize winner for Spot News Photography (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography)
- Gerald O'Hara
Fictional character.
- Scarlett''s father in Margaret Mitchell''s Gone with the Wind (see list of Characters in Literature of the American South)
- Gerald Stern (born 1925)
American author
- 1998 National Book Award winner for Poetry for This Time: New and Selected Poems (see list of Winners of the National Book Award for Poetry)
Teasing Nicknames:
- Ger-Ger
- Ger Bear
- Geriatric
- Geritol
Meaning: Its source is gar wald, an Ancient Germanic name meaning "Ruling spear."
Origin: "gar wald."
Popularity: The name Gerald ranked 3565th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.
This name is usually reserved for boys. In part, it may owe its position on the US Census popularity list to incorrectly filled-out census forms.
Narrative: Other possible interpretations include ''expert spearman,'' ''spear of the ruler,'' and the equivalent of the contemporary expression ''straight shooter.''
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