Gervais

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A masculine personal name of French origin that is also used as a family name by many people
2. A French male first name and surname with roots in the Latin name of an early Christian martyr
3. A personal name of French origin used for men and as a family name in English and French speaking countries

Etymology: Gervais is a French given name that English borrowed directly from French, where it descends from the Latin "Gervasius." The Latin form is itself a rendering of a Germanic personal name, and the name is best known in the saints' tradition: Saints Gervasius and Protasius were early Christian martyrs of Milan, and their shared feast kept the name in circulation across medieval Europe. The name took several shapes as it moved between languages. In Old French it appeared as Gervais and in other regional spellings, and English speakers adopted the French form rather than the Latin one, which is why the name sounds distinctly French today. It remains an ordinary given name in France and French-speaking countries, and it has also been used in English-speaking contexts, most famously by the British comedian and writer Ricky Gervais.