Gerish Coat of Arms and Surname Origin

Gerish is best understood together with Gerrish: both are Welsh spellings of a single family name. Name scholars give the meaning as “The showy or resplendent person”. Gerish drops the “r” of Gerrish, a simplification that clerks often made. Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms.

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Gerrish surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon. Want more than a summary? See the Gerish family name pack.