This unusual and interesting name is of early medieval English origin. However it ultimately derives from a Germanic personal name, "borrowed" in the 6th century by invading Norse-Vikings, who in addition to crossing the North Sea and conquering Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Northern England, swept down with cavalry through Northern Germany, across the Low Countries, until they finally ended up where they have remained ever since, Normandy in France, the land of the Norsemen! The name as the original "Gerbold" is derived from the word "geri" meaning a spear, and "bold" - hardy and strong. In England the real popularity of the name followed the Norman- French Invasion of 1066, and early examples include Gerbodo, recorded in the famous Domesday Book of the year 1086, and Gerbodo de Scalt in the pipe rolls of Lincoln, for the year 1175. These however were not hereditary surnames, indeed not surnames at all, the early examples of saurnames include Thomas Gerbot of Stafford in 1202, and John Garbot in the Friary Register of Yorkshire, in 1397. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of William Gerbode, in the 1185 Pipe Rolls of the county of Huntingdon. This was during the reign of King Henry 11, 1154 - 1189. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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