Help with non-literal translation of Garde Mal.

[JGardemal]

My surname is "Gardemal," which first appears in Northeastern France in the early 1600s.

Members of the family have provided numerous proposed interpretations of the name and its source - "keeper of the ill" for example. I wonder whether the members of the forum might be able to offer any insight?

Thanks. 

[George Hunt]

My very little amount of insight sugests ,initially , that it might mean "keeping the ill/evil away" (as in "garder contre").
Could that make more sense?

[Jan Loose]

In the dictionary "Petit Robert" French to Dutch, there is an entry "Garde-malade"  translated into "nurse, he/she who takes care of the sick".  

Perhaps your surname is derived from this word.

Better than "keeper of the ill", isn't ;-)