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Pickard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Pickard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
England

An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name Pickard. It is a name for someone who lived in Picardy, a region of northern France. Bearers of the name made their way from Picardy and were "pike men" to England and Scotland. 1 2

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the word "pic" or "pick," which is a Teutonic word for "hard" or "brave." 3

Not all of the family emigrated to ancient England and Scotland as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed Ralph, Engeram, Richard, Peter, Geoffry and Walter Picard in Normandy 1180-95. 4

"There is a Robert Pichard of about the same date to be found in the Rotuli Curiæ Regis, and the family is said to have been settled in Herefordshire during the preceding century. “That part of Ocle called Ocle Pichard derived its additional name from a family holding it soon after the Norman Conquest. Roger Pichard is mentioned in the Book of Fees made in the reign of Henry III. as holding of the honour of Webbeley." 5

Early Origins of the Pickard family

The surname Pickard was first found in Moray, where one of the first records of the family was Hugh Picard, who was a canon of Moray in 1266. A few years later, Stephen Pykard, was a knight of Gilbert de Umfraville, earl of Angus in 1279 and later still, John Pikard was juror on an inquest held at St. Andrews in 1302. Adam le Pycard was a Scottish prisoner of war from Stirling confined in Restormel Castle in 1305. Sir Patrick Picarde was rector of Torry in 1350. 6

Further to the south, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Alan Pichard in Yorkshire; Stephen Picard in Northumberland; Nicholas Pichard, in Shropshire; and Roger Pichard in Cambridgeshire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Emma Picard and Ricardus Picard as both holding lands there at that time. 7

"Miles Picard was uninterruptedly Sheriff of Herefordshire from 1300 to 1306, and twice served as knight of the shire. It was he who, according to Nash, gave its name to Sapy-Pychard in Worcestershire, which he held of Stuteville. Roger Picard, probably his son, was Sheriff in 1318 and 1327, and must have been the last of the name at Ode Pychard, where Peter de Clavenhogh (Clanowe), who succeeded him, had a grant of free warren in 1334. Another Picard served as Sheriff in 1348 and 1349; and in 1356 Sir Henry Picard, Vintner and Lord Mayor of London, gave a great banquet in honour of the battle of Poitiers, at which both the Black Prince and his Royal captive were present. At a second and still more august entertainment, of even greater splendour, he feasted four crowned heads his own Sovereign, and the Kings of France, Scotland, and Cyprus, with a great assemblage of the nobles of the realm. ' And after,' says Stowe, ' the said Henry Picard kept his hall against all comers whosoever that were willing to play at dice and hazard.' " 5

Early History of the Pickard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pickard research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1350, 1430, 1436 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Pickard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pickard Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Pickard include Pickard, Picard and others.

Early Notables of the Pickard family

Notable among the family at this time was

James Pickard was an English inventor, who modified the Newcomen engine in order to deliver rotary motion...

Pickard Ranking

In the United States, the name Pickard is the 3,037^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 8

Pickard migration to the United States +

Scots left their country by the thousands to travel to Australia and North America. Desperate for freedom and an opportunity to fend for themselves, many paid huge fees and suffered under terrible conditions on long voyages. Still, for those who made the trip, freedom and opportunity awaited. In North America, many fought their old English oppressors in the American War of Independence. In recent years, Scottish heritage has been an increasingly important topic, as Clan societies and other organizations have renewed people's interest in their history. An examination of passenger and immigration lists shows many early settlers bearing the name of Pickard:

Pickard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Pickard, who landed in Rowley, Massachusetts in 1646 9

Pickard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Fras. Pickard, who settled in Antigua in 1774

Pickard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Pickard, who arrived in New York in 1834 9
M D Pickard, who arrived in Mississippi in 1858 9
Ferdinand Pickard, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1860 9

Pickard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pickard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Benjamin Pickard U.E. (b. 1756) who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in Butler's Rangers as a Drummer, he had 12 children, he died in 1857 10
Mr. James Pickard U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in Butler's Rangers 10
Mr. William Pickard U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1786 he served in Butler's Rangers 10

Pickard migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pickard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Daniel Pickard, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Frederick Pickard, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Belgravia" on 4th April 1866, arriving in Western Australia 12

Pickard 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:

Pickard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Mary Pickard, (b. 1840), aged 23, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Pickard (post 1700) +

John M. Pickard (1913-1993), American actor, best known for his work in television Westerns
Oliver O. Pickard, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 3rd District, 1940; Prohibition Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Kalamazoo County 1st District, 1942
Mary Ann Pickard, American politician, Member of Virgin Islands legislature, 1993-94
Lynn Pickard, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Livingston County, 1954
L. A. Pickard, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Kennett, Missouri, 1951, 1953-54
George C. Pickard (1855-1924), American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Orange County, 1913-14
Fred V. Pickard, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Calais, Maine, 1920
Edward L. Pickard, American politician, Mayor of Newton, Massachusetts, 1901
David Pickard, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Alexandria, Indiana, 1837-44
Aldine McCrary Pickard (1910-1999), American politician, Member of Georgia State House of Representatives, 1948-72
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Pickard family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Pickard, British Petty Officer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking and continued on to another ship 14

HMS Royal Oak

Sydney Eric Pickard (1911-1939), British Steward with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 15

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Frederick J. Pickard, English 3rd Class passenger residing in New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 16

RMS Titanic

Mr. Berk Pickard, (Trembisky), aged 32, Polish Third Class passenger from Warsaw who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived in the sinking in life boat 9 17

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/belgravia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html