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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Gerald m. Old High German, Old Saxon gēr 'spear' + Old High German walt 'power'.

The name of an 8th C Anglo-Saxon saint, a 9th C French saint, 10th C German saint, and a 12th C French saint.

Often confused with Gerard and Garet; some forms of this name are indistinguishable from later forms of Gerbald.

France
Latin
862x876 Giraldi (gen) InsMacon X; 957x91 Gairoldo (abl) St-Bernard-Romans no. 81; 1047 Geraldus (nom) CartNDSaintes II; 1047x1061 Giraldus (nom) ibid. XX; 1050 Geraldi (gen) St-Bernard-Romans no. 100, Geraldo (abl) ibid. no. 100; 1067x1086 Geraldus (nom) CartNDSaintes XIV; 1079x1101 Giroldi (gen) CartStPC IX, Giroldus (nom) ibid. IX; 1121 Geraldus (nom) CartNDJosaphat X; 1143x1146 Giraldus (nom) clairvaux-12thc 12; 1180 Geroldi (gen) RotScaNor p. 15; 1259 Giraudum (acc) ArrestReg-volI XXI, Pentecost; 1273 Geraldus (nom) RegToul-13thC p. 23; 1283–86 Geraldi (gen) GasReg-A p. 227; 1287 Geraldus (nom) ibid. p. 74, Giraldus (nom) ibid. p. 74, Guiraldus (nom) ibid. p. 74; 1310/11 Geraldus (nom) ibid.; 1310 Geraldus (nom) ibid. p. 217; 1310–11 Giraldus (nom) ibid. p. 236; 1378 Geraldi (gen) hanquetvol1 1700, Geraldo (dat) ibid. 108
Old French
1313 Geroudet Paris1313 p. 46
Germany
Latin
822x75 Geroldo (abl) TradCorb §194, Geroldus (nom) ibid. §194
Preview. DO NOT cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Gerald". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2015, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2015/1/name/Gerald.