Ard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:

Scotland

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The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Ard. The Ard family lived in Ayrshire. Aird is a very small village, in the parish of Inch, county of Wigton and in the late 1800s had only 18 inhabitants. 1

Early Origins of the Ard family

The surname Ard was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire. There are two possible origins of the surname: from Aird near Hurlford, Ayrshire; or from Aird, a village, in the parish of Inch, county of Wigton. 2 As mentioned above, the latter village had only 18 inhabitants 1 in a reference dated 1846, one must agree with Black that the family likely came from the village near Hurlford. "The Airds of Holl and the Airds of Nether Catrine in Ayrshire were ranked as old families." 2

Early History of the Ard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ard research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1526, 1687, 1696, 1697, 1833, 1902 and 1911 are included under the topic Early Ard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ard Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Ard has been spelled Aird, Ard, Ayrd and others.

Early Notables of the Ard family

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

Ard Ranking

In the United States, the name Ard is the 5,839^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Ard migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Ard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John, Jane, and Mary Ard, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1767

Ard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Augustus Ard, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
Eliza Ard, aged 28, who settled in America, in 1892
Annie Ard, aged 24, who settled in America, in 1895

Ard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Frank C. Ard, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
Willie Ard, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1915
Leslie Ard, aged 20, who landed in America, in 1918
M. Ard, aged 60, who immigrated to the United States from Dublin, Ireland, in 1920
S. Ard, aged 17, who settled in America from Dublin, Ireland, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ard Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

William John Ard, aged 53, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1914

Ard 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. 4

Ard Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

James Ard who settled in Barbados in 1680 with servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Ard (post 1700) +

Samuel Julian "Sam" Ard (1939-2017), American professional stock car racing driver
Robert Ard, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1988 5
Frank Ard, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Louisiana, 1948 5
Emerson Lancoe Ard, American politician, Member of South Carolina State Senate from Williamsburg County, 1927-34 5
James Kenneth "Ken" Ard (b. 1963), American politician, 88th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (2011-2012)
William Donovan "Billy" Ard (b. 1959), American former football guard in the National Football League who played from 1981 to 1991
Ken Ard (b. 1960), American dancer, actor and singer
Jimmie Lee Ard (b. 1948), retired American professional basketball player
Ard Schenk (b. 1944), Dutch Olympic former speed skater
Ard Reynolds, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Greenwich, 1829 6

The Ard Motto +

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: Vigilantia
Motto Translation: Vigilance.