Stanard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Stanard is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Stanard comes from the Old English personal name Stanehard, meaning stone hard.

Early Origins of the Stanard family

The surname Stanard was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, Stanard, Stannard, Stanhard, Stanhert all appear in the Domesday Book as tenants of properties in Bury St Edmunds. 34 Knights were registered to the town.

Early History of the Stanard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stanard research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1222, 1327 and 1450 are included under the topic Early Stanard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stanard Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Stannard, Stanard, Stanhert, Stanart, Stanhart, Stonhard, Stonnard, Stonard, Stonerd, Stannert and many more.

Early Notables of the Stanard family

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

Stanard migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Stanard or a variant listed above:

Stanard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Stanard, who settled in San Francisco in 1850
William Stanard, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Stanard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stanard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jane Stanard, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Contemporary Notables of the name Stanard (post 1700) +

Robert Stanard (1781-1846), American politician, U.S. Attorney for Virginia, 1817-24 3
Oscar L. Stanard, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1920, 1924 (alternate) 3
Hugh C. Stanard, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Mukden, 1919 3
Edwin Obed Stanard (1832-1914), American Republican politician, Lieutenant Governor of Missouri, 1869-71; U.S. Representative from Missouri 1st District, 1873-75 3
Edward Stanard Buffington (1847-1929), American politician, Mayor of Huntington, West Virginia, 1879-80 4
Stanard W. Bryant (1878-1959), American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Clay County, 1931 5

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html