Show ContentsGerde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Gerde family

The surname Gerde was first found in Yorkshire where John, Mariota del Garth was listed there in 1297 and again in the Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland in 1332. The name is derived from the Middle English "garth" and literally means "One in charge of enclosed ground, a garden or paddock." 1

"In Yorkshire Garth has occasionally become Gath." 2 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Beatrice del Garthe in Howdenshire and Willelmus del Garth.

Gyrth (d. 1066), was Earl of East Anglia, fourth son of Earl Godwine. He "shared his father's banishment in 1052, and took refuge with him in Flanders. He also shared the restoration of his father and brothers in the following year. In 1057 he succeeded Ælfgar in the earldom of East Anglia, having perhaps received 'some smaller government at an earlier time' It seems that when he was appointed over the whole or part of East Anglia the king told him that he would give him something more (Vita Eadwardi, p. 410), and he did at some later time receive the earldom of Oxfordshire also." 3

Early History of the Gerde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gerde research. Another 146 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1600, 1661, 1676, 1679, 1684, 1687, 1691, 1693 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Gerde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gerde Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Gerde has been recorded under many different variations, including Garth, Garthe, Girth, Gyrth, Gyrthe, Gart, Gartt and others.

Early Notables of the Gerde family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Samuel Garth FRS (1661-1719), an English physician and poet. He was the "eldest son of William Garth of Bowland Forest in the West Riding of Yorkshire, was born in 1661, and sent to school at Ingleton, at the foot of...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gerde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Gerde family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gerde or a variant listed above: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Gerde (post 1700) +

  • Oszkar Gerde (1883-1944), Hungarian two time Olympic gold medalist for fencing at 1908 and 1912 games


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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