How common is the surname Gerard?

9,075 people in the United States had the surname Gerard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 34,022 Americans. It ranked 3,914th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Gerard?

Gil Gerard, American actor (1943–2025), followed by Balthasar Gérard.

Where is the surname Gerard most common?

Wikidata records people named Gerard in the United States, Spanish Empire and Belgium and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Gerard?

Gerard is /d͡ʒəˈɹɑɹd/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Gerard getting more or less common?

More common. 8,646 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,075 in 2010, up 5.0%.

Is Gerard also a first name?

Yes. Gerard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Gerard

A patronymic surname, carried by 9,075 people in the United States.

Pronounced /d͡ʒəˈɹɑɹd/ 2 syllables Soundex G663 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Gerard is more common than 97.6% of them.

Origin

From Middle English Gerard, from Old French Gerart, from Frankish *Gaiʀahard, from *gaiʀ (“spear”) + *hard(ī) (“hard, brave”).

Gerard is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 9,075 people named Gerard in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 34,022 Americans. That is up 5.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 8,646.

#3,914

rank among US surnames

9,075

people in 2010

3.1

per 100,000 Americans

+5%

change since 2000 (was #3,767)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,910	Cady	9,084	33,988
#3,911	See	9,081	33,999
#3,913	Glasgow	9,078	34,010
#3,914	Register	9,075	34,022

Who is named Gerard

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

84% of people named Gerard identified as white (not Hispanic), 8.8% as Black (not Hispanic) and 3.8% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 84%
Black (not Hispanic) 8.8%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.8%
Two or more races 2.2%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Gerards

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Gil Gerard
American actor (1943–2025)
Balthasar Gérard
Assassin of William I of Orange, 1557–1584
Red Gerard
American snowboarder, born 2000
Caitlin Gerard
American actress, born 1988
James Watson Gerard
American judge and diplomat (1867-1951)
Gus Gerard
American basketball player (born 1953)
Joachim Gérard
Belgian wheelchair tennis player, born 1988
Emily Gerard
British-Austrian writer (1849–1905)

Notable Gerards come mostly from the United States (5), Spanish Empire (1) and Belgium (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Gerrard

Surnames that sound like Gerard

Gerard has the Soundex code G663, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code G663.

Questions

Where does the surname Gerard come from?: From Middle English Gerard, from Old French Gerart, from Frankish *Gaiʀahard, from *gaiʀ (“spear”) + *hard(ī) (“hard, brave”).
How common is the surname Gerard?: 9,075 people in the United States had the surname Gerard in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 34,022 Americans. It ranked 3,914th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Gerard?: In the 2010 Census, 84% of people named Gerard identified as white (not Hispanic), and 8.8% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Gerard?: Gil Gerard, American actor (1943–2025), followed by Balthasar Gérard.
Where is the surname Gerard most common?: Wikidata records people named Gerard in the United States, Spanish Empire and Belgium and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Gerard?: Gerard is /d͡ʒəˈɹɑɹd/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Gerard?: Gerard is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Gerard getting more or less common?: More common. 8,646 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 9,075 in 2010, up 5.0%.
What are other spellings of Gerard?: Gerrard.
Is Gerard also a first name?: Yes. Gerard is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.