Churchyarde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Churchyarde is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in or near the precincts of a church. Churchyarde belongs to the large class of Anglo-Saxon topographic surnames, which were given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Early Origins of the Churchyarde family

The surname Churchyarde was first found in Staffordshire, where one of the first records of the name was John atte Chircheyerde who was listed there in 1298.

Early History of the Churchyarde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Churchyarde research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1379, 1520, 1604, 1606 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Churchyarde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Churchyarde Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Churchyarde family name include Churchyard, Churchard, Chircheyerde, Kirkeyerde, Cykarth, Cyrkarth, Kirkeyerd and many more.

Early Notables of the Churchyarde family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Churchyard (1520-1604), a prominent English author from Shrewsbury. "In his youth was attached to the household of the famous Earl of Surrey, whose memory he fondly cherished throughout his long life. He commenced his literary career when Edward VI...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Churchyarde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Churchyarde family to Ireland

Some of the Churchyarde 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 Churchyarde family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Churchyarde surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Thomas Churchyard who sailed to Virginia in 1654.