Show ContentsBayard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Bayard. It is a name for someone who works as a poet, which was originally derived from the Gaelic word bard. 1

Early Origins of the Bayard family

The surname Bayard was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

According to legend, William the Lion, King of Scotland was alarmed by the approach of a wild boar, while hunting in one of the southwestern counties. Baird, who was a follower in the King's train, came forward to assist the King. Baird needed only a single arrow to slay the boar, and was rewarded for this service by the king. He was granted large areas of lands, and was assigned a Coat of Arms on which there is a wild boar. King William also commanded that Baird would have as his motto Dominus Fecit (The Lord made). In the Churchyard of Banff, Scotland, Baird's Arms may still be seen in an ancient monument to the Bairds of Auchmeddan.

Early History of the Bayard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bayard research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1616, 1620, 1632, 1647, 1654, 1656, 1658, 1667, 1686, 1690, 1697, 1698, 1715, 1717, 1736, 1737, 1739, 1740, 1743, 1745, 1748, 1753, 1759 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bayard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bayard Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Bayard has been spelled Baird, Bard, Barde, Baard, Bayard, Beard and many more.

Early Notables of the Bayard family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Further to the south in England, Nicholas Bayard (fl. 1300?), was an early English theologian, and was, according to Bale, a Dominican theologian at Oxford, where he obtained his doctor's degree. (NBi...

Bayard Ranking

In France, the name Bayard is the 1,933rd most popular surname with an estimated 3,206 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Bayard family to Ireland

Some of the Bayard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bayard migration to the United States +

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Bayard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Nicholas Bayard, who landed in New York in 1647 3
  • Petrus Bayard, who landed in New York in 1647 3
  • Susan Bayard, who landed in Virginia in 1648 3
  • Nicholas Bayard, who landed in New York in 1664 3
  • Peter Bayard, who landed in Maryland in 1666 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bayard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Pierre Dominique Bayard, aged 32, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 3
Bayard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peter Bayard, who arrived in New York, NY in 1836 3
  • Robert Bayard, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 3
  • Mr Bayard, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 3
  • Robert Bayard, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1879 3

Canada Bayard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bayard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Louis Bayard, (b. 1623), aged 20, French settler travelling to Canada for work arriving on 6th April 1643 4
Bayard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • François Bayard, who married Marie Faye in Trois-Rivières in 1711
  • Joseph Bayard, who married Madeleine Durivaux in 1749 in Quebec City
  • Augustin Bayard, who married Marie Bluteau in Longue-Pointe in 1774
  • Major Samuel Vetch Bayard U.E. (b. 1758) born in New York, USA who settled in Aylesford, Nova Scotia c. 1783 he served in the Orange Rangers Regiment, married to Catherine Van Horne in 1788 they had 11 children, he died in 1832 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Bayard (post 1700) +

  • Richard Henry Bayard (1796-1868), U.S. Senator from Delaware
  • James Asheton Bayard Sr. (1767-1815), U.S. Senator from Delaware
  • Colonel Nicholas Bayard (1644-1707), early American official in the colony of New York, the sixteenth Mayor of New York City (1685 to 1686)
  • Alexis I. du Pont "Lex" Bayard (1918-1985), American politician from Delaware, the 13th Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
  • Thomas Francis Bayard (1828-1898), American Secretary of State, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom
  • Jean-François Alfred Bayard (1796-1853), French playwright
  • Jean Bayard, bank director, Neuilly-sur-Seine
  • Sam Bayard Tallent (b. 1987), American stand-up comedian, author, and podcaster, host of the Chubby Behemoth Podcast
  • John Bayard Anderson (1922-2017), American lawyer and politician, Chairman of the House Republican Conference (1969-1979), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois (1961-1981)
  • John Bayard McPherson (1846-1919), American politician, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 1899; Judge of U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, 1912-19


The Bayard 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: Dominus fecit
Motto Translation: The Lord made.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. 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/
  5. 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


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