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Haggard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Haggard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

The history of the ancestors of the Haggard family begins among the Pictish clans ancient Scotland. The name Haggard comes from the Gaelic form Mac-an-t-sagairt, which means son of the priest. Patronymic names often substituted the name of a saint or other revered religious figure in place of a devout bearer's actual father. However, the patronym Haggard often denotes actual paternity in this case, since the marriage of clerics in minor orders was permissible, although the marriage of priests was declared illegal and invalid during the 12th century.

The etymology of the name is much in debate. One source notes the "family are supposed to be derived from the Ogards of co. Hertfordshire." or the name "Haggard is a corruption of "hay-garth," a rick yard, and is so employed in Hall and Holinshed, as well as in several provincial dialects, but most probably, an ancient baptismal name which occurs in Domesday as Acard and Acardus." 1

Early Origins of the Haggard family

The surname Haggard was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, 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.

The Scottish branch of the family was recorded quite late as "the name occurs in Suffolk in thirteenth century as Hacgard." 2 3

One of the first records of the family was found in Worcestershire, England where Alice Haggard was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1275. 4 In this case, the name may have been derived from the Middle English and Old French word hagard which means 'wild, untamed.'

Early History of the Haggard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haggard research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1723 is included under the topic Early Haggard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haggard Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Haggard include Haggard, Hagard, Hagger, Hagart, Haggart, Hager and many more.

Early Notables of the Haggard family

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

Haggard Ranking

In the United States, the name Haggard is the 3,419^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Haggard migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Haggard:

Haggard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J. Haggard, who arrived in San Francisco in 1850
Jns. J. Haggard, aged 49, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
A. Haggard, aged 44, who settled in America from England, in 1893
W.H.D. Haggard, aged 46, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
Thomas Haggard, aged 40, who immigrated to America, in 1895
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haggard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Robert Haggard, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, in 1900
Aff. G. Haggard, aged 24, who landed in America from Barrowin Furness England, in 1906
Alfred Haggard, aged 41, who immigrated to the United States from Liverpool England, in 1906
Archibald Haggard, aged 30, who settled in America from Cork, Ireland, in 1907
William D. Haggard, who landed in America, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haggard migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Haggard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Polen Haggard, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
T. Haggard, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Indemnity" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 19th July 1842 6
J Haggard, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Indemnity 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Haggard (post 1700) +

Merle Haggard (1937-2016), American three-time Grammy Award winning country singer, winner of countless more awards, inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (1994)
Noel Lee Haggard (b. 1963), American country music singer
Captain Thomas Haggard (b. 1800), American captain of the Louisa, merchant ship out of Philadelphia, in the 1800s, he died as a result of a priate attack, eponym of the USS Haggard (DD-555) for his actions
Ted Arthur Haggard (b. 1956), American evangelical pastor, known as Pastor Ted
Sean Haggard, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 2012 7
John E. Haggard, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1988; Chair of Charlevoix County Republican Party, 2007 7
John Haggard, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1944 7
Clarence Haggard, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from North Dakota, 1960, 1976 7
C. L. Haggard, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Washington at-large, 1898 7
Bob L. Haggard, American politician, Mayor of Torrance, California, 1952 7
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Haggard Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Modeste conabor
Motto Translation: I will attempt moderately.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html