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| Pronunciation | Dutch: [ɣeːrt] |
|---|---|
| Gender | male |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Germanic |
| Meaning | Strong/Brave with the Spear |
| Region of origin | Most common in The Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Gert, Gerd, Gertje, Geertje, Gerrit, Gerry, Jerry, Gerard, Gerhard, Gerald, Gerardus |
Geert is a Dutch given name of Germanic origin, equivalent to the German Gerd and the English Gerry. The name is a condensed form of Gerard, itself a combination of the Germanic words ger (spear) and hard (strong or brave) meaning "strong" or "brave with the spear". The name's common female equivalent is Geertje.
The pronunciation of the name varies slightly, depending on whether or not the speaker uses a variety of Dutch which distinguishes between the phonemes /x/ and /ɣ/. While speakers of most northern varieties of Dutch, which do not distinguish between the two phonemes, will pronounce the name as [χeːrt] or [xeːrt], speakers of southern varieties will generally pronounce it as [ɣeːrt].
Although Geert is a name in its own right, it is often the given name of persons who are formally called Gerard or Gerardus. The latter name refers usually to saints Gerard of Toul or Gerard Majella.