Show ContentsBurnard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Strongbownian invaders added their Norman conventions for surnames to the previously established Irish system for hereditary surnames. One of the most frequent forms of surnames for both cultures was the patronymic surname, which was formed from the name of the bearer's father or grandfather. The Norman tradition that the followers of Strongbow brought with them created such a surname through diminutive suffixes such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. The Normans also formed patronymic surnames in a manner very similar to the Irish: they added a prefix to their father's name. These Anglo-Norman people, however, used the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. Although this prefix probably originated in Flanders or Normandy, it can now only be found in Ireland. The surname Burnard is derived from the Germanic personal name Bernhard, which consists of the elements ber or bern, which mean bear, and hard, which means brave, handy, or strong.

Early Origins of the Burnard family

The surname Burnard was first found in Westmorland, where they had been granted lands by King William for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Sir Theophilus, a Norman knight, who assisted William the Conqueror in the conquest of England was succeeded by his son, Sir Dorbard, who took the surname Bernard. Sir Dorbard's descendants settled at Acornbank in the county of Westmorland, but stayed in good favor with the royalty. In 1172 King Henry II took Robert Fitz Bernard with him to Ireland, in the invasion of Ireland, and entrusted to his care the counties of Wexford and Waterford.

Fulk Baynard (fl. 1226), was an early Itinerant Justice, seated at Merton, Norfolk, and was specially constituted a justice for a single occasion in November 1226. 1

Robert Baynard (d. 1331), son of Fulk Baynard, was a judge and was elected knight of the shire for Norfolk several times between 1289 and 1327. 1

Early History of the Burnard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burnard research. Another 268 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1115, 1148, 1320, 1641, 1672, 1683, 1685, 1693, 1697, 1702, 1738, 1764, 1768 and 1903 are included under the topic Early Burnard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burnard Spelling Variations

Since church officials and medieval scribes spelt each name as it sounded to them; as a result, a single person could accumulate many different versions of his name within official records. A close examination of the origins of the name Burnard revealed the following spelling variations: Bernard, Barnard, Bernyrd, Barnerd, Barnart, Barnert, Barnarde and many more.

Early Notables of the Burnard family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Ann Baynard (1672-1697), a British natural philosopher and model of piety.John Barnard (fl. 1641), was an English musician, of whose life nothing else is known and was a minor canon of St. Paul's in the reign of Charles I. "He was the first who made a collection of cathedral music, and it is through his most valuable collection that some of the finest specimens of the English school of the sixteenth century have been preserved. " 1John Barnard or...
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burnard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Burnard migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Burnard:

Burnard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Burnard, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630 2

Australia Burnard migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Burnard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Burnard, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "General Hewett"

New Zealand Burnard migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Burnard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • G Burnard, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842

Contemporary Notables of the name Burnard (post 1700) +

  • Neville Northy Burnard (1818-1878), English portrait sculptor, born at Alternun in Cornwall, son of George Burnard, a mason, and Jane, his wife 3
  • Bonnie Burnard (1945-2017), Canadian novelist and short story writer, awarded the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (1989) and the Giller Prize (1999)
  • Norah Telford Burnard (1902-1979), New Zealand school dental supervisor and journal editor
  • Major Richard Burnard Munday (1896-1932), English flying ace credited with nine aerial victories during World War I


The Burnard Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtus probata florebit
Motto Translation: Tried virtue will flourish.


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019


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