Geert
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 and hard 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 and. While speakers of most northern varieties of Dutch, which do not distinguish between the two phonemes, will pronounce the name as or, speakers of southern varieties will generally pronounce it as.
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.
People with the given name
- Geert Bakker, Dutch sailor
- Geert Egberts Boer, American college president
- Geert Adriaans Boomgaard, Dutch supercentenarian
- Geert Bourgeois, Belgian politician
- Geert Broeckaert, Belgian football player
- Geert Brusselers, Dutch football player
- Geert Chatrou, Dutch musician
- Geert Cirkel, Dutch rower
- Geert den Ouden, Dutch football player
- Geert De Vlieger, Belgian football player
- Geert De Vos, Belgian dart player
- Geert Gabriëls, Dutch politician
- Geert Groote, Dutch preacher
- Geert Hammink, Dutch basketball player
- Geert Hofstede, Dutch psychologist
- Geert Hoste, Belgian cabaret performer
- Geert Huinink, Dutch musician
- Geert Jan Jansen, Dutch painter and art forger
- Geert Lambert, Belgian politician
- Geert Lap, Dutch ceramist
- Geert Lotsij, Dutch rower
- Geert Lovink, Dutch media theorist
- Geert Mak, Dutch journalist and historian
- Geert Meijer, Dutch football manager
- Geert Omloop, Belgian cyclist
- Geert Pijnenburg, Belgian writer
- Geert Reuten, Dutch economist and politician
- Geert Arend Roorda, Dutch football player
- Geert Rouwenhorst, Dutch-born American economist
- Geert van Beijeren, Dutch art dealer
- Geert Van Bondt, Belgian cyclist
- Geert Van Calster, Belgian lawyer
- Geert Van de Walle, Belgian cyclist
- Geert Jan van Gelder, Dutch academic
- Geert van Turnhout, Flemish composer
- Geert van Wou, Dutch bell maker
- Geert Versnick, Belgian politician
- Geert Wilders, Dutch politician
Fictional characters
- Geert, in August Bournonville's comic ballet ''The Kermesse in Bruges''