Frequency: (216)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Dutch and North German: patronymic from the personal name Gerold, composed of the Germanic elements gār, gēr ‘spear’, ‘lance’ + wald ‘rule’.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
