MEANING & HISTORY
What does Gerda mean?
Gerda has separate documented name histories. In German and Dutch it is a feminine form of Gerd, associated with Gerhard.
In Scandinavian usage it can be a Latinized form of the Norse name Gerðr, connected with garðr, enclosure or yard. These are alternatives rather than pieces of a single compound. The Norse figure Gerðr supplies a mythological association for that branch, while a Germanic familiar form need not share her story or the enclosure meaning.
Pronunciation & syllables
Synthetic voice reading
Wiktionary / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
German / Dutch
Dictionary accounts by language
Tagalog
Borrowed from English Gerda, from Old Norse Gerðr.
a female given name from English
English
Latinate variant of Scandinavian Gerd, from Old Norse Gerðr, garðr (“protection”). The name occurs in nineteenth century Swedish poetry and in Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen (1844).
A female given name from the Germanic languages occasionally used in English, mostly around 1900.
Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract; common glosses translated for Filipino.
Similar names to Gerda
Explore names with a similar opening or ending.
Names in this collection
- Geena♀Variant of Gina
- Gemma♀Gem or jewel
- German♂Form of Germanus; brother
- Germán♂Spanish form of Germanus; brother
- Gerry♂♀Familiar form of Gerald, Gerard, or Geraldine
- Gelot♂Familiar form of Angelo
- Genar♂Shortened back-formation from Genaro
- Genara♀Feminine of Genaro, from the January-name Januarius
Explore Gerda further
Records & sources
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- Wiktionary contributors — Gerda (Tagalog) (opens in a new tab)
- Wiktionary contributors — Gerda (English) (opens in a new tab)
- Behind the Name — Gerda-1 (opens in a new tab)
- Behind the Name — Gerda-2 (opens in a new tab)
- Behind the Name — Gerd-1 (opens in a new tab)
- Behind the Name — Gerd-2 (opens in a new tab)