Kurd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The first family to use the name Kurd lived in the area that was once the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. It is a name for a worker in brass. The name Kurd 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 Kurd family

The surname Kurd 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 Kurd family

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

Kurd Spelling Variations

Translation in medieval times was an undeveloped science and was often carried out without due care. For this reason, many early Scottish names appeared radically altered when written in English. The spelling variations of Kurd include Caird, Kaird, Kerd, Keard, Ceard, Kerde, McIncaird, McKincaird, Kincaird and many more.

Early Notables of the Kurd family

More information is included under the topic Early Kurd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kurd family to Ireland

Some of the Kurd 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.

Migration of the Kurd family

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The Kurd were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown: William Caird settled in New Hampshire in 1718; Thomas Caird settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1765.