Family name origins & meanings
- English (of Norman origin) : from Geribodo, a Germanic personal name composed of the elements gār, gēr, ‘spear’, ‘lance’ + bodo originally ‘lord’, ‘master’, but early reinterpreted as ‘messenger’. The name was borne notably by a 7th-century saint, bishop of Bayeux; as a result of his cult the name was popular among the Normans and introduced by them into England.
- English (of Norman origin) : from Geribald, a Germanic personal name composed of the elements geri, gari ‘spear’ + bald ‘bold’, ‘brave’. This name owed its popularity largely to a 9th-century saint, bishop of Châlons-sur-Seine.