Show ContentsDillard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Dillard family

The surname Dillard was first found in Germany, where the name Dollard came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as numerous branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some of which were located in other countries. Through the acquisition of these estates as well as their important contributions to society, the family successfully elevated their social status.

Early History of the Dillard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dillard research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1480, 1506, 1509, 1513, 1636 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Dillard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dillard Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dollard, Dillard, Dolard, Dilard, Dollards, Dillards, Dullaert, Dollardt, Dillardt, Dollart and many more.

Early Notables of the Dillard family

Notables of the time with the name Dillard included Jan Dullaert of Ghent (c. 1480-1513), Latinized as Ioannis Dullardi, a Flemish philosopher and logician who lived in France as an Augustinian friar...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dillard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dillard Ranking

In the United States, the name Dillard is the 882nd most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. [1]


United States Dillard migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dillard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Dillard, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 [2]
Dillard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • R M Dillard, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1871 [2]
  • R. M. Dillard, who settled in San Francisco in 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Dillard (post 1700) +

  • James Austin Dillard (1938-2022), American CFL football halfback who played for the Calgary Stampeders, Ottawa Rough Riders and Toronto Argonauts, CFL East All-Star (1965, 1967) and CFL West All-Star (1962)
  • David Donald "Don" Dillard (1937-2022), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played 272 total games played for the Cleveland Indians (1959–62) and Milwaukee Braves (1963-1965)
  • William Harrison "Bones" Dillard (1923-2019), American two-time gold medalist track and field athlete, the “World’s Fastest Man” in 1948 and the “World’s Fastest Hurdler” in 1952
  • Doug Dillard (1983-2012), American bluegrass musician, co-founder of The Dillards, actor on The Andy Griffith Show
  • William T. Dillard (1914-2002), founder of the Dillard's department store chain
  • Victoria Dillard (b. 1969), American actress
  • Steve Bradley Dillard (b. 1951), former Major League Baseball player
  • Richard H. W. Dillard (b. 1937), American poet
  • Mickey Dillard (b. 1958), American former NBA basketball player
  • Jarett Dillard (b. 1985), American NFL football player
  • ... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)


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