Oxford University Press "American Family Name Origins"
Garren
1. English: probably a variant of Garrant (unknown origin).
2. Respelling of German Garen, which is a variant of Geeren (see Geer).
Geer
1. English: variant of Geary (English: nickname for a wayward or capricious person, from Middle English ge(a)ry ‘fickle’, ‘changeable’, ‘passionate’ (a derivative of gere ‘fit of passion’, apparently a Scandinavian borrowing).).
2. North German, English: from a personal name derived from ger, gâr ‘spear’, a short form of any of various compound names with this as a first element.
3. Dutch: reduced form of van den Geer, a topographic name from geer ‘headland’.
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This message was edited 8/30/2007, 8:58 PM