Gerardi/Gelardi Family History
Gelardi Family
United States
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Gerardi/Gelardi Family Crest
Origin of Surname
The Italian surname Gelardi is a variant of the surname Gherardi and as such is patronymic in origin, being derived from the forename of the original bearer's father. In this case, the surname means simply the "son of Gerard". The surname is related etymologically to the names Gherardo, Ghelardo, Gerardi, Gilardi, Giraldi and Girauda, as well as many diminutive forms. The forename itself is of the Old Germanic origin, being derived from the Old High German "ger hard", meaning "spear brave". It was highly popular among the Germanic tribes who believed that forenames had the ability to influence a person's character. Names implying military prowess, strength and courage, for instance, were among the favourites, these qualities being highly regarded by such a war-like race. In the fourth and fifth centuries, the Germanic tribes of the Lombards and Franks invaded and settled in Italy. Although they rapidly adopted the Latin tongue they retained their Germanic forenames for many hundreds of years before these names gradually took a more Italian flavour, perhaps by the addition of a suffix such as "i", "a", "ini" and so on. Many famous Italian names fall into this category, including Leonardo, Garibaldi, Grimaldi, Arnolfini and Riccardi, for example. Although the form Gelardi is comparatively rare, the surname Gherardi is well documented in the Middle Ages, having been borne by several noble families in Italy. Princpal among these were the Gherardi family of Firenze who trace their line to one Orlando Gherardi around the year 1352. Unrelated were the Gherardi del Bello of Firenze who trace their history in 1260, while Gherardi of Pishoia arrived in the city from Florence in 1216
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Copyrighted 2008 by R. Gelardi. All rights reserved.
Gelardi Family
United States