| ![Show Contents]() Robards History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Robards surname is derived from the personal name Robert. This name was originally came from the Old German words "hrod" and "behrt," which mean "fame" and "bright." It was introduced to Britain by the Normans during the time of Edward the Confessor, and became very popular. A large number of diminutives and pet-forms were derived from this name in early times. Early Origins of the Robards familyThe surname Robards was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where they were descended from Einion Efell, Lord of Cynllateh, through Howell ap Iolyn of Llangedwyn, and were directly descended from Rhodri Mawr, King of Wales. Early History of the Robards familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Robards research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1585, 1606, 1648, 1649, 1657, 1660, 1665, 1679, 1682, 1684, 1685, 1718, 1719, 1722, 1723 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Robards History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Robards Spelling VariationsThe Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Robards have included Roberts, Robert, Robartes, Robarts and others. Early Notables of the Robards familyProminent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was William Roberts (1585-1665), Welsh Bishop of Bangor; Richard Roberts, Sheriff of Cornwall; Michael Roberts (died 1679), Welsh-born, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1648 to 1657; John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor and Viscount Bodmin PC (1606-1685), an English politician; and his son, Francis Robartes FRS (c. 1649-1718), an English politician; and John "Bartholomew" Roberts (1682-1722), Welsh pirate who raided ships off America and West Africa between 1719 and 1722. He changed his first name to Bartholomew after the buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp. He was the most successful pirate of the Golden...
Another 115 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Robards Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Robards RankingIn the United States, the name Robards is the 16,383rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1  Migration of the Robards family to Ireland
Some of the Robards family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Robards migration to the United States | + |
North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Robards:
Robards Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Elizabeth Robards, who landed in Maryland in 1676 2
- Thomas Robards, who landed in Maryland in 1676 2
Robards Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- William Robards, aged 57, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
- Charles M. Robards, aged 32, who settled in Washington, D.C., in 1918
- Phyllis W. Robards, aged 26, who immigrated to Washington, D.C., in 1918
| Robards migration to West Indies | + |
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3Robards Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- James Robards, aged 20, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 2
- Mr. James Robards, (b. 1615), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 4
| Contemporary Notables of the name Robards (post 1700) | + |
- William S. Robards, American politician, North Carolina State Treasurer from 1827 to 1830
- Karen Robards (b. 1954), American best-selling author of over fifty novels
- Jason Nelson Robards (1892-1963), American stage and screen actor who appeared in over 232 productions, father of Oscar-winning actor Jason Robards Jr
- Samuel Prideaux Robards (b. 1961), American actor, son of actors Jason Robards and Lauren Bacall, best known for his role as Henry Swinton in the film A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
- Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (1922-2000), American sailor awarded the Navy Cross during WWII. He went on to become a two-time Academy Award winning actor 5
- Marjorie Robards, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Kansas, 1996 6
- Horace L. Robards, American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Granville County, 1838-41 6
- Charles Robards, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1932 6
- Andrew Robards, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1952 6
- Otho Robards Singleton (1814-1889), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Mississippi State House of Representatives, 1846; Member of Mississippi State Senate, 1848; Presidential Elector for Mississippi, 1852 7
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Ewch ymlaen
Motto Translation: Go forward.
- "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)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- Jason Robards. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Jason Robards. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Robards
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Robards migration to the United States 
Robards migration to West Indies 
Wales
Ireland
