Cearly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

In the Scotland of ancient times, Cearly was a name for a worker in brass. The name Cearly 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 Cearly family

The surname Cearly 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 Cearly family

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

Cearly Spelling Variations

Medieval spelling was at best an intuitive process, and translation between Gaelic and English was no more effective. These factors caused an enormous number of spelling variations in Dalriadan names. In fact, it was not uncommon to see a father and son who spelled their name differently. Over the years, Cearly has been spelled Caird, Kaird, Kerd, Keard, Ceard, Kerde, McIncaird, McKincaird, Kincaird and many more.

Early Notables of the Cearly family

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

Migration of the Cearly family to Ireland

Some of the Cearly 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 Cearly family

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cearly arrived in North America very early: William Caird settled in New Hampshire in 1718; Thomas Caird settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1765.