Recorded in many spelling forms including Gearing, Geering and sometimes Goring, (England), Gerin and Geron (France), Gering, Gehring, Gehringer, Goering, Gohring, (Germany), and many others, this is a Germanic and Anglo-Saxon surname, recorded in its different forms in most European countries. It derives from the pre 7th century personal name 'Gering', a derivative from the word 'gari or geri' meaning a spear, and '-ing' which generally means 'the people', or possibly 'the tribe', to give a literal translation of 'The spear people'. As the name is very widely recorded it may well be that originally there was a tribe who were particularly proficient in the use of 'spears'. However both for war and hunting for many centuries the spear was the weapon in most general use, by good and bad alike. There are many surnames which include 'ger' or 'gar' as an element including: Garrett (spear - brave), Garbutt (spear-messenger), and Garbett (spear- bright). Early examples of the surname recordings include: Sewal Geryng in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, England in 1296, and in Germany, Magister Gerundus Gering of Konstanz, in 1325. The first recorded spelling of the surname in any form anywhere in the world may be that of William Gering, who was a witness at the Lancashire Assize Court, in the year 1202 a.d. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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