Gaylord

English

Etymology

Derived from the Old French surname Gaillard, brought to England by the Normans. Shaped by folk etymology like gay (“joyful”) + lord.

Proper noun

Gaylord

1. An American surname.
   • 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 (2001), ISBN 0755101928, 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.

Usage notes

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

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French

Etymology

From the English given name Gaylord.

Proper noun

Gaylord m

1. (rare) A male given name.

Usage notes

• Briefly popular in France in the 1980s.

References

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