Honoring Gerald

Boy Names
1

This is completely hypothetical. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I plan on only one more child. We are due in [name_u]December[/name_u] with him or her and are set on [name_m]Scott[/name_m] [name_m]Allen[/name_m] for a boy to honor my husbands dad and grandpa.

[name_f]My[/name_f] dad already has three people honor named after him. [name_f]My[/name_f] brother [name_m]Thomas[/name_m], my sister [name_f]Jerri[/name_f], and my nephew [name_u]Evan[/name_u] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]. [name_f]My[/name_f] dad’s name is [name_m]Gerald[/name_m] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]. He goes by either [name_u]Jerry[/name_u] or GT- yes, people do call him GT or G [name_m]Thomas[/name_m].

If we are blessed and surprised later on I’d really like the idea of using [name_m]Gerald[/name_m] in a way if a boy. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband already okay’d it for a second boy as either a first or middle name. [name_f]My[/name_f] dad has already asked me and my siblings not to use [name_m]Gerald[/name_m]- he never cared for it himself, but I personally have a soft spot for it. I’d like to stay away from [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] because there are a lot more [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]’ in our family other than the ones I’ve listed.

I’ve thought of [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] nn [name_u]Gerry[/name_u], [name_m]Jerad[/name_m] nn [name_u]Jerry[/name_u]. I really like the thought of a G name with the nn [name_u]Gerry[/name_u]. [name_m]Jerad[/name_m] is just okay for me. I do like [name_m]Jerad[/name_m] spelled as Gerad. Is that too made up? I’m not really not a fan of creative spellings, and not really of nicknames for full names. But for namesake reasons I’m okay with nicknames for full names, and when a nickname is used I prefer to be spelled in a similar way to the full name. [name_m]Gerald[/name_m] nn [name_u]Jerry[/name_u] and anything similar drives me crazy!

So here are my questions…
Does [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] nn [name_u]Gerry[/name_u] work?
Does [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] work in the US?
Is Gerard too “Grandpa” like Gerald? (I’m okay with this, so is my husband. I just want the general thought on this.)
Does Gerad work for [name_m]Jerad[/name_m], or is it too made up?
Will Gerad spelled this way be read as Gerald?
Any other ideas?

I like [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] a lot but am unsure if it is feasible in the US. I prefer the sound of [name_m]Jerad[/name_m], but I would really like a G name.

I know Jerad can be spelled Jared/Jarod but prefer Jerad because it is similar to Gerald or Jerry.

[name_u]Gerry[/name_u]/[name_u]Jerry[/name_u] is out because [name_f]Jerri[/name_f] is my sisters name. But as a nickname I’d be okay with it, so is my sister.

[name_m]Jerald[/name_m]/[name_m]Gerald[/name_m] is also out becuase I’d like to respect my dads wish.

Again, this is hypothetical and only for a “what if.” Not completely ruled out though.

Sorry that this is so long, and also sorry for the multiple questions! Thank you in advance!

2

** Bump **

Any Berries have some thoughts on this?

3

I like [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] because it reminds me of the french Gérard Depardieu :wink:

I think it would be slightly out of place with your sibset, if that matters to you. [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], [name_f]Anna[/name_f], [name_m]Scott[/name_m]/[name_f]Nyla[/name_f] and [name_m]Gerard[/name_m]. Most people bestow their GP name on their ‘last’ and this would be surprising! But hey, if it has that much meaning, who cares about sibset or people calling him a grandpa. You could definitely pull a more creative nn from it (instead of [name_u]Gerry[/name_u]): [name_m]Rad[/name_m]? just [name_m]Gee[/name_m]? Or leave it in the middle spot to ground a more adventurous first name - like your GP Grimm [name_m]Gerard[/name_m]!

4

Anna, Ellie, Scott are “old” names to us. They all go back generations on both my husbands and my side. So Gerard wouldn’t be too misplaced in the sibset. It is just more… foreign(?) than the others. Nyla I feel is out of place from the others, but we’ve already weighed out the pros and cons and have fallen in love with it on its own and with the rest. I just know that Gerard appears more grandpa like. But not any more than Edward or Frederick… At least to me.

I would not call Gerard a guilty pleasure of mine. Guilty pleasures are the ones I would never use on any of my children’s, but for some reason I still have a fondness for.

Gerry would be the nickname for either Jerad or Gerard. Not any other creative name. It’s a family name and I am very fond of Jerry/Gerry. I just question if Gerry (Jer-ee) fits well with Gerard (jar-rard- think Gerard Butler).

We do have Gerard as a mn choice for Seth or Simon. Those two are our top other choices next to Scott. So either Simon Gerard or Seth Gerard. We’d rather find a form of Gerald we like so that we do not have two S names for our sons.

What do you think of My Jerad dilemma?

5

Does [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] nn [name_u]Gerry[/name_u] work? - yes, it makes sense.
Does [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] work in the US?- Yes, [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] [name_m]Way[/name_m] contributed to this.
Is [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] too “Grandpa” like [name_m]Gerald[/name_m]?- No I think It’s Fine
Does Gerad work for [name_m]Jerad[/name_m], or is it too made up? - I’m not really into the [name_m]Jerad[/name_m] or Gerad spelling. But out of the two I prefer [name_m]Jerad[/name_m].
[name_m]Will[/name_m] Gerad spelled this way be read as [name_m]Gerald[/name_m]? - I think it will.
Any other ideas? - [name_m]Jerome[/name_m] or [name_m]Garrett[/name_m]/[name_m]Gareth[/name_m]?

6

Thank you for your feedback!

Your suggestion of [name_m]Garret[/name_m] is nice, but I’m afraid of him being nicknamed [name_u]Gary[/name_u]. I also do not think [name_u]Gerry[/name_u] would work well with it. That is one of the reasons why I chose the Ger/[name_m]Jer[/name_m] spelling of [name_m]Jerad[/name_m]/Gerad over the Jar/[name_m]Gar[/name_m] spelling. I do not like [name_u]Gary[/name_u], and wanted [name_u]Gerry[/name_u]/[name_u]Jerry[/name_u] to be instinctual when nicknaming him.

I think it’d either be [name_m]Jerad[/name_m] or [name_m]Gerard[/name_m]. I guess time will tell. :slight_smile:

7

Have you looked at international versions of [name_m]Gerald[/name_m]? There’s a lot of variety, including [name_m]Gerhard[/name_m], [name_m]Gerek[/name_m], [name_m]Gellert[/name_m], [name_m]Jarell[/name_m]…

Have you considered [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m], nn [name_u]Jerry[/name_u]?

One note on [name_m]Jerad[/name_m]/Gerad: These spellings are confusing. I would stick with the [name_m]Jared[/name_m] spelling.

8

Another idea: [name_m]Gerson[/name_m]. It’s not etymologically related to [name_m]Gerald[/name_m] but if you look at its components it could be used to mean (grand)son of [name_m]Gerald[/name_m].

9

I think that if you father dislikes [name_m]Gerald[/name_m] he’s going to also dislike [name_m]Gerard[/name_m]. In which case choosing a similar name to his own to honor him seems a bit silly. I suggest asking your dad how he feels about [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] next time the conversation of his name comes up. (It’s just a thought).

10

I have a major soft spot for [name_m]Gerard[/name_m]. I’m not overly fond of [name_u]Gerry[/name_u] but since it would have a family tie in for you it’s quite usable. I’d swoon over meeting a baby [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] :slight_smile:

11

I’d opt for [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]/Giordan, w/nn Giordi.

12

Has [name_m]Jerome[/name_m] been suggested?

13

I have a little bit of a different suggestion… what if you used [name_u]Alden[/name_u] as a tribute to [name_m]Gerald[/name_m]??
It’s a little more modern and not so ‘old man’ and I think it goes nicely with your other children’s names :slight_smile:

14

@mayday- I really like [name_m]Gerek[/name_m], and I looked up other variations/foreign variants of [name_m]Gerald[/name_m] and I really like [name_m]Gerrit[/name_m] ([name_m]Garret[/name_m]). [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m] nn [name_u]Jerry[/name_u] is a great suggestion! :slight_smile:
Thank you for the feedback on [name_m]Jerad[/name_m]! I honestly do not like how [name_m]Jared[/name_m] looks, never have. I love the sound of [name_m]Jared[/name_m] but prefer how [name_m]Jerad[/name_m] looks. [name_m]Just[/name_m] my preference. :slight_smile: I think Gerad spelled this way is out. Thank you for all of your suggestions! They gave me a lot to think about.

@lexiem- I thought of this years ago when my husband and I first discussed boy names. I asked my dad and he said it was fine! :slight_smile: He was un approvingly nicknamed Aldie by his older brothers, that is one of the main reasons he dislikes [name_m]Gerald[/name_m]. He likes [name_u]Jerry[/name_u]- he named one of my sisters [name_f]Jerri[/name_f] for petes sake! So he is fine with me finding an alternate route to get [name_u]Jerry[/name_u]. Thank you for the thought. It is appreciated! :slight_smile:

@bjoy- I have a soft spot for [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] too. I feel like it is a name in need for a revival! :slight_smile:

@rkrd- [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]/Giordan is a great suggestion and thank you! However, it is unusable for me. [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] is my late brother in laws name. [name_f]My[/name_f] niece and nephew are teenagers now and wish to honor their dad using [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] someday.

@boyandgirl- [name_m]Jerome[/name_m] has been suggested! It is a nice name, but I just don’t love it. Thank you for the suggestion! :slight_smile:

@lk86- thank you for thinking out side of the box! However, my dad has a backstory and a little hatred for the nn Aldie. I think he would rather me use [name_m]Gerald[/name_m] than a name in which Aldie is easily accessible! Lol. :slight_smile: [name_u]Alden[/name_u] is a great name though! I personally do like it.

All of you had great suggestions! Thank you! I told my husband my favorites out of them. We like [name_m]Gerrit[/name_m], [name_m]Jerad[/name_m], and [name_m]Gerard[/name_m]! I personally really like [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m] and even [name_m]Jeremy[/name_m] but husband said no. :frowning:

[name_m]Gerrit[/name_m], [name_m]Jerad[/name_m], [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] are top contenders if IF we have a second boy. If used as a first name any of those could work and I can definitely see [name_m]Gerard[/name_m] being a middle name option.