Where did the term nerd come from?

Answer 1

The most often quoted meaning is "computer geek", or a person more interested in the scholarly than popular social or athletic pursuits. (Most famously the movie series "Revenge of the Nerds" and sequels - see link). But this is a more modern meaning, since in 1957, it was defined as a "square" (a boring, conventional, conservative person) by the counter-culture, notably the "beatnik" and jass phase (1950's) and the "hippie" movement (1960's).