659 Global GARRATT Family Members

GARRATT Family History

This name is of Norman origin, from either of the personal names 'Gerard' or 'Gerald' introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066. The two names soon became confused, but are recorded separately in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Gerardus' and 'Geraldi'. The derivation of both names is Germanic; 'Gerard' is composed of the elements 'geri' or 'gari' meaning 'spear', with 'hard', hardy, brave or strong, while 'Gerald' means 'spear - rule' from 'geri' as before with 'wald', rule. The names were extremely popular, which can be seen by the great number and variety of modern surnames deriving from them, ranging from Garratt, Garrett, Garred and Jarrett to Garrod and Jerrold.