Barnard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

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The Strongbownian invaders added their Norman conventions for surnames to the previously established Irish system for hereditary surnames. One of the most frequent forms of surnames for both cultures was the patronymic surname, which was formed from the name of the bearer's father or grandfather. The Norman tradition that the followers of Strongbow brought with them created such a surname through diminutive suffixes such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. The Normans also formed patronymic surnames in a manner very similar to the Irish: they added a prefix to their father's name. These Anglo-Norman people, however, used the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. Although this prefix probably originated in Flanders or Normandy, it can now only be found in Ireland. The surname Barnard is derived from the Germanic personal name Bernhard, which consists of the elements ber or bern, which mean bear, and hard, which means brave, handy, or strong.

Early Origins of the Barnard family

The surname Barnard was first found in Westmorland, where they had been granted lands by King William for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Sir Theophilus, a Norman knight, who assisted William the Conqueror in the conquest of England was succeeded by his son, Sir Dorbard, who took the surname Bernard. Sir Dorbard's descendants settled at Acornbank in the county of Westmorland, but stayed in good favor with the royalty. In 1172 King Henry II took Robert Fitz Bernard with him to Ireland, in the invasion of Ireland, and entrusted to his care the counties of Wexford and Waterford.

Fulk Baynard (fl. 1226), was an early Itinerant Justice, seated at Merton, Norfolk, and was specially constituted a justice for a single occasion in November 1226. 1

Robert Baynard (d. 1331), son of Fulk Baynard, was a judge and was elected knight of the shire for Norfolk several times between 1289 and 1327. 1

Early History of the Barnard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barnard research. Another 268 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1115, 1148, 1320, 1641, 1672, 1683, 1685, 1693, 1697, 1702, 1738, 1764, 1768 and 1903 are included under the topic Early Barnard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barnard Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelled the names as they sounded, so a name was often spelled many different ways during the lifetime of a single person. The investigation of the origin of the name Barnard revealed many spelling variations including Bernard, Barnard, Bernyrd, Barnerd, Barnart, Barnert, Barnarde and many more.

Early Notables of the Barnard family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Barnard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Barnard is the 1,355th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 2 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Barnard is ranked the 638th most popular surname with an estimated 10,304 people with that name. 3 And in South Africa, the name Barnard is the 169th popular surname with an estimated 37,329 people with that name. 4


Barnard migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Barnard:

Barnard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Barnard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Barnard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Barnard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Barnard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Barnard migration to Australia +

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

Barnard Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Barnard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Barnard 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:

Barnard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Barnard 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. 13
Barnard Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Barnard (post 1700) +


The Barnard 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: Virtus probata florebit
Motto Translation: Tried virtue will flourish.
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