1) Patronymic surname 
Gerdes s, or Geerdes, is a surname of German origin. It is a patronymic name, i.e. it comes from `son of Gerhard`. When around 1800 the Prussian government under French occupation decided to fix the surnames, the contemporary `son of Gerhard` had to keep his name. In Ostfriesland, the law was ignored until at least 1811. ==Origin== Ge(e)rdes i...