Jerrold as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Jerrold

What is the meaning of the name Jerrold ?

The baby name Jerrold is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈdʒɛrəld/ (JER-əld) or /ˈdʒɛroʊld/ (JER-ohld).

Jerrold is Germanic in Origin.

Jerrold is an English given name, a phonetic elaboration of Gerald/Jerald, ultimately from the Old Germanic elements ger "spear" and wald "rule, power," yielding the meaning "spear ruler." Brought to England by the Normans as Gerald, the name thrived in medieval records and benefited from the cults of Saint Gerald of Aurillac and Gerald of Mayo. It resurfaced in the 19th century alongside a broader revival of medieval Germanic names.

Variants include Gerald, Jerald, Jerold, and Jerrald; related cognates are German Gerald, French Gérald, Spanish Gerardo, and Italian/Portuguese Geraldo. Diminutives are Jerry and Gerry, with feminine forms Geraldine and Jeraldine. In the United States and Britain, Jerrold enjoyed modest use, peaking in the mid-20th century (roughly the 1930s-60s) before declining. The double-r spelling was also familiar as a surname, notably via the Victorian dramatist Douglas Jerrold, which helped legitimize this specific given-name form.