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Gillard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Gillard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Gillard reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is based on the Norman given name Willard. This name is derived from the Germanic roots will, meaning desire, and heard, meaning strong or hard. 1

Early Origins of the Gillard family

The surname Gillard was first found in east Kent and Sussex where they were Lords of the Manor of Eastbourne. The family were originally named Villiard, or Guillarrt, and were from Caen in Normandy in pre Conquest times. 2 In the Domesday Book they are recorded variously as Wielardus, Wilardus, and Wlward. 3 4 Further speculation on the origin of this distinguished family name of the U.S.A., can be deduced from the Willard Memoir by Joseph Willard published in Boston Mass. in 1858. 4 Woollard is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley in East Somerset. Some of the first records of the name include: Wihelardus de Trophil who was listed in the History of Northumberland in 1168 and Wilard de Pikeeden who was listed in the same source in 1227. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Emayn Wylard. William Willarde was listed in Kent in 1602 and Nicholas Willard from Kent married Jane Coumber at Canterbury in 1690. 5

Early History of the Gillard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gillard research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1605, 1617, 1630, 1634, 1640, 1643, 1672, 1676, 1692, 1701 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Gillard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gillard Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Gillard have been found, including Willard, Wilard, Viliard, Villiard, Wielard, Willardby, Willardsey, Willardsham, Willardstone and many more.

Early Notables of the Gillard family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Simon Willard (1605-1676), English settler to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1634, he was one of the thirteen heads of families in Concord that signed Reverend Peter Bulkeley's 1643 petition to Governor John Endecott in support of Ambrose Martin...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gillard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gillard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Gillard is the 5,405^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Gillard is ranked the 285^th most popular surname with an estimated 157 people with that name. 7 And in France, the name Gillard is the 1,409^th popular surname with an estimated 4,069 people with that name. 8

Gillard migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Gillard were among those contributors:

Gillard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Petro Gillard, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 9

Gillard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Gillard, aged 41, who arrived in New York, NY in 1870 9

Gillard migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gillard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Gillard, (b. 1811), aged 22, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Miss Eliza Gillard who was convicted in Dorset, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Miss Mary Gillard, (b. 1811), aged 23, English farm servant who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Samuel Gillard, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 12
Harriett Gillard, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gillard migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gillard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

J H Gillard, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Lady Nugent
Joseph Gillard, aged 17, a brewer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
J.H. Gillard, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 17th March 1841 13
George Gillard, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 14
William Gillard, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of the Avon" in 1859
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gillard (post 1700) +

Matthew Gillard (b. 1973), American politician
Doug Gillard (b. 1965), American guitarist and songwriter
Lynn J. Gillard, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, 1959-60 15
Joseph R. Gillard, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 5th District, 1942 15
Clara H. Gillard, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1924 15
Ian Terry Gillard (b. 1950), English former professional footballer who made nearly 500 appearances for Queens Park Rangers; he won three caps for the England national team
William Gillard (1812-1897), British painter from Bristol
Stuart Gillard (b. 1950), Canadian film and television director, best known for directing the films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993) and RocketMan (1997)
Reginald "Reg" Gillard OAM (1920-2001), Australian politician, Member of the Australian Parliament for Macquarie (1975-1980)
Nick Gillard (b. 1959), British stunt man and coordinator, best known as the stunt coordinator for the Star Wars prequels
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
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)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANTON 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Canton.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html