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Packard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Packard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Packard surname is generally thought to be derived from the Middle English word "pack," which meant "pack" or "bundle" with the pejorative suffix "ard." This name was originally a derogatory term used to describe a pedlar. There are also no doubt instances of this name that were derived from Pickard, denoting someone who originally came from Pickardy, France.

Early Origins of the Packard family

The surname Packard was first found in Lincolnshire, where the first on record was William Pachart, recorded in the Pipe Rolls for that shire in 1208. Other early recorded instances of the name include Geoffrey and Henry Pac(k)ard in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327.

Early History of the Packard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Packard research. Another 20 words (1 lines of text) covering the year 1601 is included under the topic Early Packard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Packard Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Packard, Pachard, Packerd, Packart, Pachart and others.

Early Notables of the Packard family

More information is included under the topic Early Packard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Packard Ranking

In the United States, the name Packard is the 3,141^st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1

Packard migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Packard or a variant listed above:

Packard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Samuel Packard, who arrived in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1655 2

Packard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary and Isaac Packard, who settled in New York, NY in 1822
Augusta and Isaac Packard, who settled in Bristol, Rhode Island in 1823
James B Packard, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1849 2
L C Packard, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
S C Packard, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Packard migration to Australia +

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

Packard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Alice Packard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 3
Charles Packard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 3
Daniel Packard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 3
Sarah Packard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 3
Emily Packard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Packard 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:

Packard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Emma Packard, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 4
Mr. Joseph Packard, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Nelson, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Packard (post 1700) +

David Packard (1912-1996), American electronics businessman and electrical engineer, co-founder and co-eponym of Hewlett-Packard Co. in 1939, and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
James Packard (1863-1928), who with his brother William Packard (1861-1923), American automobile industrialists, founders of the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan in 1899 and the Packard Electric Company
William Alfred Packard (1830-1909), American classical scholar
Marlboro Packard (1828-1904), American master shipbuilder
Elizabeth Packard (1816-1897), American women's rights and mental health activist
Damon Packard (b. 1967), American film director
Alpheus Spring Packard (1839-1905), American entomologist and palaeontologist
Alpheus S. Packard (1798-1884), American educator
Vance Oakley Packard (1914-1996), American author and social critic
David Packard (1912-1996), American Republican politician;U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, 1969-71
... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"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)
State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1851 from London 12 05 1851 and southampton with Captain Roskell, arrived Port Adelaide on 1-09-1851. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Asia.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html