Gerdes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The historic kingdom of Bohemia, enclosed by mountains and the celebrated Bohemian forest, is the noble birthplace of the name Gerdes.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 Gerdes derived from the Old German personal name Gerhard, which means spear-brave.

Early Origins of the Gerdes family

The surname Gerdes 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 Gerdes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gerdes 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 Gerdes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gerdes 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 Gerdes family

During this early period, notable bearers of the name Gerdes included

Daniel Gerdes (1698-1765), German Calvinist theologian and historian, Professor at the University of Duisburg in 1726, and at the University of Groningen in 1736

Gerdes Ranking

In the United States, the name Gerdes is the 6,037^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Gerdes migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gerdes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ludw Gerdes, who landed in North America in 1832 2
Ferdinand H Gerdes, who landed in America in 1836 2
Mr. J. Henry Gerdes, aged 36, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Alberdina"
Mrs. Anne Gerdes, aged 32, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Alberdina"
Mr. Hermann Gerdes, aged 3, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Alberdina"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gerdes (post 1700) +

Eckhard Gerdes (b. 1959), American novelist and editor
Bernd Gerdes (b. 1989), German footballer
Ludger Gerdes (1954-2008), German painter, sculptor and multimedia artist
Otto Gerdes (1920-1989), German Grammy Award winning conductor and record producer
Alfred Gerdes (1916-1962), German silver medalist field hockey player at the 1936 Summer Olympics

Historic Events for the Gerdes family +

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Scott W Gerdes (1965-1985), American Private 1st Class from Pittsville, Massachusetts, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 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)
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550