This is the 4877th most frequent Dutch word.
gerard
"Gerard" is a Dutch male given name, not a word with a specific definitional meaning.
Here 'Gerard' is used as a proper noun, specifically as the name of a person.
Gerard is mijn beste vriend.
Gerard is my best friend.
In this sentence, 'Gerard' again serves as a proper noun, referring to the author of the book.
Het boek dat Gerard schreef, is een bestseller.
The book that Gerard wrote is a bestseller.
Here the word 'Gerard' is metaphorically used as a nickname for an object to which the speaker assigns character.