Gaylord History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Gaylord family's name is derived from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain following the Norman Conquest of island in 1066. Their name originated with an early member who was a happy, joyous, and bold person. The name Gaylord derives from the nickname the galliard, which means the bold or the joyous. 1

We note Chaucer's reference to the name in The Cook's Tale: 'Gaillard he was, as goldfinch in the shawe.'

Some presume the family originated in Normandy, France as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed Roger Golier of Normandy in 1198. 2

Early Origins of the Gaylord family

The surname Gaylord was first found in the London area where the first record of the name was in the Latin form: Gaylardus in 1206. Later, Robert Gaylard was listed in 1225, and later again, John Galard was listed in 1232. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John Gayllard, Cambridgeshire; William Gallard and John Galard in Oxfordshire. 4

As a forename, we found Gaillarda Blome in the Close Roll, 5 Edward II and Gaylarde uxor Arnaldt de Puribus, Close Roll, 39 Henry III. The reader should note that ancient rolls always listed entries by the year of the king's reign. By example, 39, Henry III denotes during the thirty-ninth year of King Henry III's reign. 4

Further to the north ion Scotland, "Reginaldus de Galard' witnessed a charter by Adam de Hastengis of the land of Kengildurs to the Abbey of Aberbrothoc, c. 1214-1226. John Galart or Gallard held the land of Keth Sywin or Swinis Keeth, Fife, in 1248, and Reginaldus de Gaillard is mentioned in connection with the land about the same date." 5

Early History of the Gaylord family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaylord research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1341, 1351, 1426, 1667, 1675, 1676, 1687 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Gaylord History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaylord Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Gaylord include Gaylord, Gaillard, Galliard, Gaylor, Gayleard and others.

Early Notables of the Gaylord family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Richard Gaillard and Hughes Gaillard, British Squires who bravely fought at the Combat of the Thirty on March 26th, 1351.John Ernest Galliard (1687?-1749), was a...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gaylord Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gaylord Ranking

In the United States, the name Gaylord is the 4,337^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Gaylord migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Gaylords to arrive on North American shores:

Gaylord Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Gaylord aged 30, who settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Mary & John"
Miss Elizabeth Gaylord, aged 14, who settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Mary & John"
William Gaylord, aged 39, who arrived in Dorchester Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Mary & John" 7
William Gaylord, Jr., aged 12, who settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Mary & John" 7
John Gaylord, who landed in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1632 7

Gaylord Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

E Gaylord, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Gaylord (post 1700) +

Jeff Gaylord (1958-2023), American professional wrestler from Columbus, Ohio, who competed in the Universal Wrestling Federation, World Class Championship Wrestling and the United States Wrestling Association
Frank Chalfant Gaylord II (1925-2018), American sculptor best known for "The Column", part of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C
Brigadier-General Clifford Willard Gaylord (1883-1952), American Adjutant-General of Missouri (1941-1945) 8
Edward Lewis Gaylord (1919-2003), American billionaire businessman, founder of Gaylord Entertainment Company
Henry C. Gaylord, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Canaan, 1910 9
Frederick L. Gaylord (1850-1930), American Republican politician, Brass foundry business; Postmaster at Ansonia, Connecticut, 1898-1910; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Connecticut, 1900 9
Frank D. Gaylord, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Wayne County, 1917-19 9
Emerson Gaylord, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1888 9
Edward A. Gaylord (b. 1856), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartland, 1911-12; Defeated, 1928 9
E. H. Gaylord, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 16th District, 1855-56 9
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
"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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 5) Clifford Gaylord. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Gaylord/Clifford_Willard/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html