Gerhard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The historic kingdom of Bohemia, enclosed by mountains and the celebrated Bohemian forest, is the noble birthplace of the name Gerhard.German surnames developed at a time when most of Bohemia, and most of the German provinces, were states of the Holy Roman Empire. Fairly general principles guided the development of hereditary surnames in Bohemia. Two of the common types of family names found in the Prussia are patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The surname Gerhard derived from the Old German personal name Gerhard, which means spear-brave.
Early Origins of the Gerhard family
The surname Gerhard was first found in Bohemia, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.
Early History of the Gerhard family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gerhard research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1582, 1607, 1629, 1637, 1676, 1698, 1726, 1736 and 1765 are included under the topic Early Gerhard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gerhard Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Gerhardt, Gearhart, Gearhardt, Gerhart, Gearhard, Gerhard, Gerheart, Gearheart, Gerard and many more.
Early Notables of the Gerhard family
During this early period, notable bearers of the name Gerhard included
- Johann Gerhard (1582-1637), the most famous Lutheran theologian of the time
Gerhard Ranking
In the United States, the name Gerhard is the 13,783rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1
Gerhard migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gerhard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Johann Georg Gerhard, with his wife and six children, who settled in America in 1709
- John George Gerhard, who arrived in America in 1709 2
- Martin Gerhard, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
- Merdin Gerhard, aged 27, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
- Johann Henrich Gerhard, aged 23, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1739 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gerhard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Wilhelm Gerhard, who landed in America in 1832 2
- Paul Gerhard, who arrived in North America in 1832 2
- Adolph, El Gerhard, who arrived in North America in 1837 2
- William Gerhard, aged 19, who landed in Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Herschel" 2
- Mr. Joh. Gerhard, (Gerharz), aged 19, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Auguste Meline"
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gerhard migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gerhard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Johannes Gerhard, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Magdelina Gerhard, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Maria Gerhard, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
- Richard Gerhard, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Gerhard Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Jacob Gerhard, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
Contemporary Notables of the name Gerhard (post 1700) +
- Paul Bernhard Gerhard (1824-1908), German entomologist who specialised in Lepidoptera
- Robert Gerhard i Ottenwaelder (1896-1970), known as Roberto Gerhard, a Catalan composer and musical scholar and writer from German-Swiss descent
- Hans Gerhard Ramler (1928-2021), German politician, member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, he served in the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein from 1971 to 1987
- Jens Gerhard Lehmann (b. 1969), German former football goalkeeper
- Ulf Gerhard Lundell (b. 1949), Swedish writer, poet, songwriter, composer, musician and artist
- James Gerhard Eppard (b. 1960), American Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman from South Bend, Indiana
- Roland Gerhard Fryer Jr. (b. 1977), American Professor of Economics at Harvard University
- Hugo Gerhard Ströhl (1851-1919), Austrian heraldist
- Arvid Gerhard Damm (d. 1927), Swedish engineer and inventor
- Paul Gerhard Jahn (1925-2004), German professor and theologian
Historic Events for the Gerhard family +
Bismarck
- Franz Gerhard (1898-1941), German Sondf. Leutnant zur See who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 3
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details