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Girard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Girard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The prominent surname Girard originated in France, a country which has been a dominant presence in world affairs for centuries. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in France were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. As well as the names of the saints of the Christian Church, many of the most common French surnames are derived from personal names of Germanic origin. The name Girard is derived from the Germanic personal name Gerhard, which means "brave spear".

Early Origins of the Girard family

The surname Girard was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France where this celebrated family held a family seat from ancient times.

The first member of this ancient family is recorded in the ancient archives as Guillaume Girard of la Magdelaine who was the Magistrate for the county of Charollais in 1325. The Girards were well established in the region of Bourgogne where members of this noble family were prominent citizens in the political arenas of the times. By 1370, members of the family held the title of Lord of Charollais, such as Etienne Girard of Perrecy.

As many members of this family held important positions in political and military fields, they were deeply affected by the French Revolution. Some important members at this time were: Jean François Girard, a Deputy for the Clergy at the Estates General in 1789; François Joseph Henri Girard, Secretary General at the Prefecture and a Legislator; Jean-Baptiste Girard, Count, Commander and Officer of the Legion of Honour, promoted to General of the Brigade in November, 1806, and who received the Cross of Saint-Louis from the Emperor; and Jean-Pierre Girard, who became General of the Brigade after being Chief of the 3rd Batallion, and was later made a member of the Legion of Honour and a Baron of the Empire. 1

Early History of the Girard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Girard research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1518, 1528, 1595, 1632, 1641, 1648 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Girard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Girard Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gerrard, Girard, Girarde, Girardeau, Girardin, Girart, Girars, Girardes, Jirard, Jirarde, Jirart, Jirars, Guérard, Guirard, Guirarde, Guirart, Guirars and many more.

Early Notables of the Girard family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Jacques Girard, Counsellor in Parliament in 1528
Albert Girard (1595-1632), French mathematician

Girard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Girard is the 2,345^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2 However, in Canada, the name Girard is ranked the 56^th most popular surname with an estimated 37,173 people with that name. 3 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Girard is the 18^th popular surname. 4 France ranks Girard as 22^nd with 55,642 people. 5

Girard migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Girard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abraham Girard, who arrived in New York, New York in 1715 6
Francois Girard, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
Nicolas Girard, aged 30, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 6
Henry Girard, who settled in Louisiana with his wife Margueritte in 1720
Stephen Girard, who landed in New York in 1774 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Girard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Louis David Girard, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1800 6
John F. Girard, who settled in Philadelphia in 1834
Peter Girard, who settled in Philadelphia in 1834
Jean Pierre Girard, aged 43, who landed in Missouri in 1845 6

Girard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Girard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Mr. Pierre Girard, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 6th April 1642 7
Mr. Pierre Girard, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 9th April 1642 7
Mr. Pierre Girard, (b. 1605), aged 38, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 6th April 1643 7
Francois Girard, aged 28, who landed in Quebec in 1658
Mr. François Girard, French settler travelling to Canada to work for Pierre de Voyer d'Argenson, arriving on 12th April 1658 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Girard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jacques Girard, son of Pierre-Jacques and Françoise, who married Françoise Petit, daughter of Louis-Charles and Marie-Madeleine, in Varennes, Quebec on 19th March 1710 8
Jacques Girard, son of Antoine and Agnès, married Clotilde Brisson, daughter of René and Geneviève, in Quebec on 7th April 1718 8
François Girard, son of Jean and Dorothée, married Marie-Renée Lachaine-Jolicoeur, daughter of Pierre and Marie-Anne, in Lorette, Quebec on 14th April 1722 8
Etienne Girard, son of Antoine and Élisabeth, married Geneviève Brunel, daughter of Jacques and Suzanne, in Varennes, Quebec on 19th October 1723 8
Jean Girard married Marie Madeleine Bouré, daughter of Nicolas Hérbert and Marguerite, in Varennes, Quebec on 4th March 1726 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Girard (post 1700) +

René Noël Théophile Girard (1923-2015), French-born, American historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science
Stephen Girard (1750-1831), French-born, American philanthropist and banker
Pierre Louis Pélagie Girard, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 9
Jean-Pierre Girard, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 10
Jean-Baptiste Girard, Duke of Ligny, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
Pierre-Simon Girard (1765-1836), French mathematician and engineer
Philippe de Girard (1775-1845), French inventor who many believe was the inventor of food preservation using tin cans
Jean-Yves Girard (b. 1947), French mathematician and logician
Charles Frédéric Girard (1822-1895), French biologist
Aimé Girard (1830-1898), French chemist
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Debien, Gabriel. Liste Des Engagés Pour Le Canada Au XVIIe Siècle. Vol. 6, Laval University, 1952. (Retreived 24th May 2018). Retrieved from https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/130-liste-des-contrats-dengagement-pour-la-nouvelle-france-releves-a-la-rochelle-entre-1634-et-1679/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 6) Pierre Girard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 6) Jean-Pierre Girard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 6) Jean-Baptiste Girard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html