Jerrold or Jerold are masculine English given name variants of Gerald, a German language name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ger- ("spear") and suffix -wald ("rule"). Jerrold was initially brought to Great Britain by the Normans. There are feminine nicknames, including Jeri. Jerrold is uncommon as a surname, although it was popular in the 11th and 12th century when biblical names were in style.