Girarde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The prominent surname Girarde originated in France, a country which has been a dominant presence in world affairs for centuries. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in France were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. As well as the names of the saints of the Christian Church, many of the most common French surnames are derived from personal names of Germanic origin. The name Girarde is derived from the Germanic personal name Gerhard, which means "brave spear".

Early Origins of the Girarde family

The surname Girarde was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France where this celebrated family held a family seat from ancient times.

The first member of this ancient family is recorded in the ancient archives as Guillaume Girard of la Magdelaine who was the Magistrate for the county of Charollais in 1325. The Girards were well established in the region of Bourgogne where members of this noble family were prominent citizens in the political arenas of the times. By 1370, members of the family held the title of Lord of Charollais, such as Etienne Girard of Perrecy.

As many members of this family held important positions in political and military fields, they were deeply affected by the French Revolution. Some important members at this time were: Jean François Girard, a Deputy for the Clergy at the Estates General in 1789; François Joseph Henri Girard, Secretary General at the Prefecture and a Legislator; Jean-Baptiste Girard, Count, Commander and Officer of the Legion of Honour, promoted to General of the Brigade in November, 1806, and who received the Cross of Saint-Louis from the Emperor; and Jean-Pierre Girard, who became General of the Brigade after being Chief of the 3rd Batallion, and was later made a member of the Legion of Honour and a Baron of the Empire. 1

Early History of the Girarde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Girarde research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1518, 1528, 1595, 1632, 1641, 1648 and 1715 are included under the topic Early Girarde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Girarde Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gerrard, Girard, Girarde, Girardeau, Girardin, Girart, Girars, Girardes, Jirard, Jirarde, Jirart, Jirars, Guérard, Guirard, Guirarde, Guirart, Guirars and many more.

Early Notables of the Girarde family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Girarde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Girarde migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Girarde Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Marie Girarde, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 2

Citations +

Hozier, Charles D, and Antoine Bachelin-Delforenne. État présent De La Noblesse française (1883-1887): Contenant Le Distionnaire De La Noblesse Contemporaine Et Larmorial général De France, Dapres Les Manuscrits De Ch. D Hozier. Librairie Des Bibliophiles, 1884. Print.
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)