Gearoid: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Gearoid is an Irish boy's name meaning “brave with a spear.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Gearóid
- Meaning
- Brave with a spear
- Gender
- Boy
- English forms
- Garret, Gerald, Gerard, Gerrit
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 244 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Gearoid?
Gearoid is pronounced GAR-roid. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Gearoid mean?
Means “brave with a spear” or “spear carrier.” The name is associated with Gearoid Fitzgerald, the 3rd Earl of Desmond (1338-98) and leader of the most powerful Norman family in late medieval Ireland. It was believed he had magical powers and is reputed to protect the environment at Lough Gur, where he had a castle in County Limerick. In one story, when a local landowner planned to drain the lake or forbid local people access to it Gearoid made his horse bolt, fatally injuring the landowner. Some even say that he is sleeping at the bottom of Lough Gur, waiting to return to the land of the living.
How popular is Gearoid in Ireland?
In 2025, 19 baby boys in Ireland were named Gearóid, which made it No. 244 that year. That's down from No. 235 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1988, when 50 baby boys were named Gearoid, No. 100 that year. The most babies got the name in 1993: 51. The records go back to 1964, when 9 baby boys were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | No. 244 (Gearóid) |
| 2024 | 17 | No. 252 (Gearóid) |
| 2023 | 27 | No. 187 (Gearóid) |
| 2022 | 21 | No. 231 (Gearóid) |
| 2021 | 18 | No. 257 (Gearóid) |
| 2020 | 27 | No. 204 (Gearóid) |
| 2019 | 23 | No. 220 (Gearóid) |
| 2018 | 30 | No. 187 (Gearóid) |
| 2017 | 26 | No. 214 (Gearoid) |
| 2016 | 40 | No. 156 (Gearoid) |
| 2015 | 23 | No. 235 (Gearoid) |
| 2014 | 26 | No. 220 (Gearoid) |
| 2013 | 40 | No. 161 (Gearoid) |
| 2012 | 43 | No. 156 (Gearoid) |
| 2011 | 34 | No. 189 (Gearoid) |
| 2010 | 39 | No. 171 (Gearoid) |
| 2009 | 34 | No. 170 (Gearoid) |
| 2008 | 30 | No. 191 (Gearoid) |
| 2007 | 41 | No. 149 (Gearoid) |
| 2006 | 42 | No. 132 (Gearoid) |
| 2005 | 23 | No. 178 (Gearoid) |
| 2004 | 24 | No. 163 (Gearoid) |
| 2003 | 30 | No. 138 (Gearoid) |
| 2002 | 38 | No. 119 (Gearoid) |
| 2001 | 38 | No. 118 (Gearoid) |
| 2000 | 36 | No. 124 (Gearoid) |
| 1999 | 40 | No. 109 (Gearoid) |
| 1998 | 23 | No. 139 (Gearoid) |
| 1997 | 39 | No. 117 (Gearoid) |
| 1996 | 43 | No. 115 (Gearoid) |
| 1995 | 35 | No. 127 (Gearoid) |
| 1994 | 39 | No. 115 (Gearoid) |
| 1993 | 51 | No. 107 (Gearoid) |
| 1992 | 44 | No. 113 (Gearoid) |
| 1991 | 41 | No. 116 (Gearoid) |
| 1990 | 32 | No. 132 (Gearoid) |
| 1989 | 32 | No. 126 (Gearoid) |
| 1988 | 50 | No. 100 (Gearoid) |
| 1987 | 46 | No. 107 (Gearoid) |
| 1986 | 37 | No. 117 (Gearoid) |
| 1985 | 43 | No. 112 (Gearoid) |
| 1984 | 42 | No. 117 (Gearoid) |
| 1983 | 35 | No. 126 (Gearoid) |
| 1982 | 41 | No. 119 (Gearoid) |
| 1981 | 28 | No. 142 (Gearoid) |
| 1980 | 33 | No. 126 (Gearoid) |
| 1979 | 30 | No. 132 (Gearoid) |
| 1978 | 22 | No. 150 (Gearoid) |
| 1977 | 29 | No. 131 (Gearoid) |
| 1976 | 32 | No. 128 (Gearoid) |
| 1975 | 20 | No. 155 (Gearoid) |
| 1974 | 17 | No. 167 (Gearoid) |
| 1973 | 26 | No. 135 (Gearoid) |
| 1972 | 26 | No. 138 (Gearoid) |
| 1971 | 19 | No. 152 (Gearoid) |
| 1970 | 13 | No. 173 (Gearoid) |
| 1969 | 15 | No. 154 (Gearoid) |
| 1968 | 14 | No. 150 (Gearoid) |
| 1967 | 10 | No. 169 (Gearoid) |
| 1966 | 11 | No. 154 (Gearoid) |
| 1965 | 11 | No. 157 (Gearoid) |
| 1964 | 9 | No. 164 (Gearoid) |
Gearoid in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Gearoid, letter by letter.
- GGort, ivy
- EEadhadh, aspen
- AAilm, pine
- RRuis, elder
- OOnn, gorse
- IIodhadh, yew
- DDair, oak
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Gearoid
Questions about Gearoid
- How do you pronounce Gearoid?
- Gearoid is pronounced GAR-roid. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Gearoid mean?
- Gearoid means “brave with a spear.”
- Is Gearoid a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Gearoid is a boy's name.
- How do you spell Gearoid in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Gearóid. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- What is Gearoid in English?
- The English forms of Gearoid are Garret, Gerald, Gerard and Gerrit.
- How popular is Gearoid in Ireland?
- In 2025, Gearóid was No. 244 for boys in Ireland, with 19 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1988, at No. 100.