Gaylord

See also: gaylord

English

Etymology

Derived from the Old French surname Gaillard (from gaillard (“strong”)), brought to England by the Normans. Compare Spanish Gallardo (from gallardo (“dashing, strapping, gallant”). Shaped by folk etymology into gay (“joyful”) + lord.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡeɪˌlɔɹd/

Proper noun

Gaylord

1. An American surname from Old French.
   • 1942, Stephen Longstreet, The Gay Sisters, Random House, page 81:

     Why should we Gaylords be above all the others, and why should I throw away the few short minutes I have to breathe in this world, throw it away on family pride and a seven-letter name? Gaylord. Gaylord. GAYLORD. A sound like an elm tree full of katydids.

2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
   • 1926, Edna Ferber, Show Boat, Doubleday, Page & Co, page 181:

     Gaylord Ravenal elevated the right eyebrow and looked down his aristocratic nose at the capering little captain. "I am Gaylord Ravenal, of the Tennessee Ravenals. I failed to catch your name."

   • 1967, Eric Malpass, At the Height of the Moon, House of Stratus, published 2001, →ISBN, page 6:

     He smiled often, he could make his knuckles crack like pistol shots, and he had the courtesy to address him as Gaylord, and not by some ridiculous title of his own.

3. A small city in Smith County, Kansas, United States.
4. A city, the county seat of Otsego County, Michigan, United States.
5. A city, the county seat of Sibley County, Minnesota, United States.
6. An unincorporated community in Coos County, Oregon, United States.
7. An unincorporated community in Clarke County, Virginia, United States.

Usage notes

• The given name had some vogue in the 20th century, but has rarely been given since the 1960s because of the modern meaning of gay as homosexual.

French

Etymology

From the English given name Gaylord.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛ.loʁd/ ~ /ɡe.loʁd/

Proper noun

Gaylord m

1. (rare) a male given name

Usage notes

• Briefly popular in France in the 1980s.

References

• [1] Meilleurs prénoms: 2086 males named Gaylord born in France between 1900 and 2006.