Gerlach is a male forename of Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and

Romance languages The Romance languages, sometimes referred to as Latin languages or Neo-Latin languages, are the various modern languages that evolved from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages in the Indo-European language fam ...

. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this case, those constituents are ''ger'' (meaning 'spear') and ''/la:k /'' (meaning 'motion'). The meaning of the name is thus 'spear thrower'.
It became a

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

, and a source from which other surnames have been derived, as well.

Personal name

* Saint Gerlach (died c. 1170), Dutch saint * Gerlach I of Isenburg-Arnfels, Count of Isenburg-Arnfels from 1286 (1287) until 1303 *

Gerlach I of Isenburg-Wied Gerlach I of Isenburg-Wied was the Count of Isenburg-Wied Isenburg-Wied was the name of a state of the Holy Roman Empire, based around Neuwied in modern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germ ...

, Count of Isenburg-Wied from 1409 until 1413 * Gerlach I of Nassau-Wiesbaden (before 1288-1361), Count of Nassau *

Gerlach II of Isenburg-Arnfels Gerlach II of Isenburg-Arnfels was the Count of Isenburg-Arnfels Isenburg-Arnfels was the name of a state of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Bad Hönningen area in modern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Isenburg-Arnfels was created upon ...

, Count of Isenburg-Arnfels from 1333 until 1379 *

Gerlach II of Isenburg-Covern Gerlach II of Isenburg-Covern was the Count of Isenburg-Covern from 1158 until 1217. References 1217 deaths House of Isenburg Year of birth unknown {{Germany-count-stub ...

, Count of Isenburg-Covern from 1158 until 1217 *

Gerlach III of Isenburg-Covern Gerlach III of Isenburg-Covern was the Count of Isenburg-Covern Isenburg-Covern was the name of a state of the Holy Roman Empire, based around Kobern-Gondorf in modern Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal R ...

, Count of Isenburg-Covern from 1217 until 1235 *

Gerlach IV of Isenburg-Limburg Gerlach is a male forename of Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this case, those ...

(died 1289), Lord of Limburg an der Lahn *

Gerlach V of Isenburg-Limburg Gerlach V of Isenburg-Limburg (died April 14, 1355), also called Gerlach II "the Elder" of Limburg, was Count of Isenburg-Limburg. He reigned between 1312 and 1355 as Lord of Limburg an der Lahn, and the head of the House of Limburg. The chronicler ...

(died 1355), Count of Isenburg-Limburg; grandson of Gerlach IV *

Gerlach VI of Isenburg-Limburg Gerlach VI of Isenburg-Limburg (died 1365), also known as Gerlach III of Limburg, was Count of Isenburg-Limburg and Lord of Limburg an der Lahn. He succeeded his father Gerlach V in 1355. In 1356, he married Elisabeth of Falkenstein (died betwee ...

(died 1365), Count of Isenburg-Limburg and Lord of Limburg an der Lahn; son of Gerlach V * Gerlach Flicke (''fl.'' 1545-1558), German portrait painter of the English Tudor court *

Gerlach Cornelis Joannes van Reenen Jhr. Gerlach Cornelis Joannes van Reenen (30 September 1818, in Amsterdam – 31 May 1893, in The Hague) was a Dutch politician. He was Mayor of Amsterdam from 1850–1853 and later a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands fo ...

(1818–1893), Dutch politician

Surname

* Annette Gerlach (born 1964), German TV host *

Carl Gotthelf Gerlach Carl Gotthelf Gerlach (31 December 1704 – 9 July 1761) was a German organist, composer and violinist. Life Born in , Wermsdorf, hear Oschatz, Gerlach became a pupil at the Thomasschule in Leipzig, receiving musical training between 1716 ...

(1704–1761), German organist and music director *

Carl Ludvig Gerlach Carl Ludvig Gerlach (April 26, 1832 – September 13, 1893) was a Danish composer and opera singer. Notable works *''Kjærlighed er trolddom'' (1856) *''3 Charakteerstykker'' (1859) *''Fader vor'' (1862) *''Jesus opvækker Lazarus'' (187 ...

(1832–1893), Danish composer and opera singer * Carl R. Gerlach, mayor of Overland Park, Kansas * Charles L. Gerlach (1895-1947), U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania *

Chris Gerlach Chris Gerlach (born November 17, 1964) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 37, which included portions of the cities of Apple Valley, Burnsville and Rosemount in Dakota County, which is l ...

(born 1964), American politician *

Christian Gerlach Hans Christian Gerlach is professor of Modern History at the University of Bern. Gerlach is also Associate Editor of the ''Journal of Genocide Research'' and author of multiple books dealing with the Hunger Plan, the Holocaust, and genocide. Wri ...

, professor of modern history at the University of Bern *

Daniel Gerlach Daniel Gerlach (born 1977) is a German author, journalist, publisher and Middle East expert. He is the current editor-in-chief of the German Middle East quarterly magazine zenith and director-general of the Candid Foundation. Career Gerlach st ...

(born 1977), German journalist *

Elsie Gerlach Dr. Elsie Gerlach (1900-1967) was named the first superintendent of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry Children's Clinic in 1927 after having served as an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania. Gerlach stayed for 38 ye ...

, 20th century dental educator *

Ernst Ludwig von Gerlach Ernst Ludwig von Gerlach (7 March 1795 – 18 February 1877) was a Prussian politician, editor and judge. He is considered one of the main founders and leading thinkers of the Conservative Party in Prussia and was for many years its leader in the P ...

(1795-1877), Prussian judge and politician *

Hellmut von Gerlach Hellmut Georg von Gerlach (2 February 1866 – 1 August 1935) was a German journalist and politician. Life Hellmut von Gerlach, the son of landowner Max von Gerlach, was born in Mönchmotschelnitz in Silesia. He studied law at the universiti ...

(1866-1935), German journalist and politician *

Jim Gerlach James W. Gerlach (born February 25, 1955) is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. Gerlach retired from Congress after completing his sixth term. Early life, education and caree ...

(born 1955), U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania *

Joseph von Gerlach Joseph von Gerlach (3 April 1820 – 17 December 1896) was a German professor of anatomy at the University of Erlangen. He was a native of Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Gerlach was a pioneer of histological staining and anatomical micrography. I ...

(1820-1896), German anatomist and professor *

Kurt Albert Gerlach Kurt Albert Gerlach (22 August 1886, Hanover – 19 October 1922, Frankfurt) was a German professor and Sociology, sociologist. Life Gerlach was the son of the chemist and later director of the Continental AG Albert Gerlach and his wife Martha F ...

(1886-1922), German sociologist *

Ludwig Friedrich Leopold von Gerlach (Ludwig Friedrich) Leopold von Gerlach (17 September 1790 – 10 January 1861) was a Prussian army general, adjutant to King Frederick William IV of Prussia and a Protestant conservative associate of Otto von Bismarck. Ancestry He was the so ...

(1790-1861), Prussian general * Manfred Gerlach (1928-2011), head of state of East Germany (1989-1990) *

Otto von Gerlach Karl Friedrich Otto von Gerlach (12 April 1801 – 24 October 1849) was a German theologian and pastor from Berlin. He was the youngest of five children of Carl Friedrich Leopold von Gerlach (1757–1813), first Lord Mayor of Berlin, and ...

(1801-1849), German theologian and pastor *

Talitha Gerlach Talitha A. Gerlach ( – Geng Lishu; 6 March 1896 – 12 February 1995) was an American YWCA worker who spent most of her life as a social worker in Shanghai, China, where she died. She received various awards from the Shanghai and Chinese governm ...

(1896–1995), American YMCA worker who spent most of her life as a social worker in Shanghai, China *

Walther Gerlach Walther Gerlach (1 August 1889 – 10 August 1979) was a German physicist who co-discovered, through laboratory experiment, spin quantization in a magnetic field, the Stern–Gerlach effect. The experiment was conceived by Otto Stern in 1921 an ...

(1889-1979), German physicist *

Wim Gerlach Willem Aaldert "Wim" Gerlach (24 June 1935 – 14 June 2007) is a retired boxer from the Netherlands. He competed at the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics in the lightweight and light welterweight classes, respectively, and was eliminated in the fir ...

(1935-2007), Dutch Olympic boxer * Irene Gerlach, fictional character in Erich Kästner's ''

Lottie and Lisa ''Lisa and Lottie'' (original German title: ''Das doppelte Lottchen'', "The Double Lottie") (published since 2014 in the United Kingdom and Australia as ''The Parent Trap'') is a 1949 German novel by Erich Kästner, about twin girls separated i ...

Personal name

Surname

See also