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The ancient roots of the Billard family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Billard comes from when the family lived in Surrey. As a local name, it was derived from the local 'at the hill-garth' or 'hill-yard.' 1
"Hildyard, formerly Hildheard, [was] an ancient personal name. The family are said to have sprung from Robert Hildheard, of Normanby, Yorkshire, in the year 1109." 2
Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Old German Hildigard, Hildiardis (f) ‘war stronghold’ 3
And finally, the name could also have been an occupational name for a hellier who was a roofer, tiler, or thatcher. 4
The surname Billard was first found in Surrey where the name was first listed as a forename, Hildiard de Trule in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1206. Hyldeiard (with no forename) was registered in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1228 and Robert Hildyard, Hiliard was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls for 1275 in Yorkshire. 3
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Robert de Hildgard, Yorkshire; Robert de Hildyard, Yorkshire; Robert Hiliard, Yorkshire; Robert Hildeyerd, Yorkshire. "These four entries represent, no doubt, the same individual." 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Billard research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1109, 1485, 1537, 1602, 1612, 1619, 1640, 1660, 1670, 1685, 1689, 1690, 1716, 1729, 1743, 1746, 1781 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Billard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Billard has appeared include Hilliard, Hildyard, Hillard, Hildheard and others.
Notables of the family at this time include Sir Christopher Hildyard (d. 1602), whose tomb is in Church of St. German in Winestead, as well as a Hildyard, Sheriff of Nottingham.
Nicholas Hilliard (1537-1619), was an English miniature painter, court painter to Elizabeth and to James I. His son, Lawrence Hilliard (d. 1640), English miniature painter continued his father's work. 5
Thomas Hildeyard (1690-1746), was a Jesuit, of a respectable Lincolnshire...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Billard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Billard is the 387th most popular surname with an estimated 121 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Billard is ranked the 454th most popular surname with an estimated 9,586 people with that name. 7
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Billard arrived in North America very early:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: