Show ContentsEckard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The generations and branches of the Eckard family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Eckard comes from the Old French personal names Achart and Aquart. Achard was a personal name in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1

Early Origins of the Eckard family

The surname Eckard was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where Henry Achard, Huntingdonshire; and Richard Achard, Yorkshire were listed. Later the Yoprkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes Hachet, Mergareta Hachet, and Robertus Achard. 2

Early History of the Eckard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Eckard research. Another 99 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1154, 1189, 1273, 1379, 1636, 1679, 1695, 1697 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Eckard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eckard Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Eckard include Hatchard, Hachard, Atchard, Achard and others.

Early Notables of the Eckard family

Distinguished members of the family include John Eachard (1636?-1697), an English divine and satirist from Suffolk, twice Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (in 1679 and 1695.) "He governed his college with the utmost care and fidelity, and to the general satisfaction of the whole university. He procured many donations...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Eckard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Eckard Ranking

In the United States, the name Eckard is the 9,981st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Eckard family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Eckard or a variant listed above: P. Achard, who sailed to Louisiana in 1719; Michael and Joseph Achard, who came to Philadelphia, Pa. in 1796; and A. Achard, who arrived in San Francisco, Cal. in 1850..


Contemporary Notables of the name Eckard (post 1700) +

  • John M. Eckard, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for West Virginia State Senate 4th District, 1934 4
  • Harry Eckard, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 31st District, 1922, 1926; Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1928 4
  • Eckard Rabe (b. 1948), South African actor


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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