Burd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Burd comes from a name for a person who worked as a bird catcher or someone who had birdlike characteristics. 1
Early Origins of the Burd family
The surname Burd was first found in Cheshire at Broxton, a township, in the parish of Malpas, union of Great Boughton, Higher division of the hundred of Broxton. 2
"Its principal home is in the east of England, south of the Wash, especially in Norfolk. It is scattered about the midland counties, and is also represented in Somerset and Dorset. In other parts of England it is absent or rare, but in the county of Worcester its absence is supplied by Byrd." 3
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: David le Brid, Oxfordshire; John le Brid, Oxfordshire; Stefan Brid, Suffolk; and Geoffrey Bryd, Salop (Shropshire.) 4
Over in Somerset, Henry le Brid, was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5
Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes Bridde as holding lands there at that time. 4
Further to the north in Scotland, William Bird was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1443. 6
Early History of the Burd family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burd research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1538, 1540, 1543, 1554, 1558, 1563, 1569, 1608, 1623, 1634, 1652, 1663, 1667, 1669, 1674, 1684, 1704, 1744 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Burd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Burd Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Burd include Bird, Byrd, Byrde and others.
Early Notables of the Burd family
Notables of this surname at this time include: Theophilus Bird, or Bourne, (1608-1663) an English actor; John Bird (died 1558), who was an English Carmelite monk and bishop.
William Byrd (1540-1623), was an English composer who was supposed to have been the son of Thomas Byrd, a gentleman in the Chapel Royal under Edward VI and Mary. 7 "The precise date of his birth is unknown, but the fact of his having been senior chorister of St. Paul's Cathedral in 1554, would...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Burd Ranking
In the United States, the name Burd is the 8,502nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8
Migration of the Burd family to Ireland
Some of the Burd family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Burd migration to the United States +
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled 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 ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Burd or a variant listed above:
Burd Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Burd, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 9
- Symon Burd, aged 20, who landed in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Susan and Ellin", bound for Chelsea 9
- Tho Burd, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 9
- Mary Burd, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 9
- Nath Burd, who landed in Virginia in 1662 9
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Burd Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Edward Burd, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 9
- Margaret Burd, who landed in Virginia in 1724 9
Contemporary Notables of the name Burd (post 1700) +
- James M. Burd (b. 1931), American politician, Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1977-1990)
- George Burd (1793-1844), American Anti-Jacksonian member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Edward Burd (1749-1833), American Revolutionary War officer in Pennsylvania
- James Burd (1726-1793), colonial American soldier in the French and Indian War
- Steven A. Burd (b. 1949), American President and CEO of Safeway Inc
- Theodore Burd, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 8th District, 1937 10
- James M. Burd, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives 12th District; Elected 1980 10
- Harry M. Burd, American politician, Burgess of Brownsville, Pennsylvania, 1929 10
- H. Floyd Burd, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1948, 1956 (alternate), 1960, 1964; Chair of Wyoming County Democratic Party, 1955 10
- George B. Burd, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Senate 50th District, 1911-12; Defeated, 1922 10
- ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Burd family +
Triangle Waist Company
- Miss Augusta Burd, American who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire 11
The Burd 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: Cruce spes mea
Motto Translation: My hope is in the cross.
Citations +
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire