Show ContentsCaird History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Caird comes from the kingdom of Dalriada in ancient Scotland. It was a name for a person who worked as a worker in brass. The name Caird is an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "ceard", which refers to a craftsman, a traveling tinker who repaired pots and kettles, and a worker in brass. The family is believed to have made many of the Highland plaid brooches of brass.

Early Origins of the Caird family

The surname Caird was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Caird family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caird research. Another 196 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1275 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Caird History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caird Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Caird has appeared as Caird, Kaird, Kerd, Keard, Ceard, Kerde, McIncaird, McKincaird, Kincaird and many more.

Early Notables of the Caird family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

  • John Caird the "Tinker Preacher...

Ireland Migration of the Caird family to Ireland

Some of the Caird family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Caird migration to the United States +

Ancestors of many of the Dalriadan families who crossed the Atlantic still live along the east coast of the United States and Canada. Some Scottish settlers arrived in Canada during the American War of Independence as United Empire Loyalists, while others stayed south to fight for a new nation. The descendants of Scottish settlers in both countries began to rediscover their heritage in the 19th and 20th centuries through Clan societies and highland games. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Caird or a variant listed above:

Caird Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Caird, who settled in New Hampshire in 1718
  • Thomas Caird, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1765
Caird Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Caird, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 1
  • James Caird, who arrived in New York in 1831 1
Caird Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • James Bunton Caird, aged 23, originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, who arrived in New York City, New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Columbia" from Glasgow, Scotland 2
  • Alexander Caird, aged 50, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Olympic" from Southampton, England 2
  • James Caird, aged 49, originally from Clarksburg, U S A, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Aquitania" from Southampton, England 2
  • Jane Ann Mitchell Caird, aged 44, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Adriatic" from Southampton, England 2
  • David Caird, aged 34, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Cameronia" from Glasgow, Scotland 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Caird (post 1700) +

  • John Caird (1820-1898), Scottish theologian
  • Sir James Key Caird, 1st Baronet, Scottish businessman and philanthropist
  • Sir James Caird, Scottish Privy Counselor
  • Edward Caird (1835-1908), Scottish philosopher
  • Rev. George Caird, American religious author
  • William Douglas Caird, Judge
  • Rt. Rev. Donald Caird, Bishop of Limerick
  • Maureen Caird (b. 1951), former Australian track athlete


  1. 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)
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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