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The Byard surname derives from the Old English words "bi," meaning "beside" and "yerd," meaning "enclosure." Thus the name is thought to have been originally used to describe someone who lived near a closed in yard. 1
The Byatt variant has a slightly different derivation, "dweller by the gate," from the Old English "geat" or Middle English "yat, gate." 1
The surname Byard was first found in Sussex, where Thomas Byerd, was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, 1296. 1 Byard's Leap is a small hamlet, west of Cranwell in Lincolnshire, which is associated with various legends. The hamlet is associated with the activities of the Knights Templar.
Bayard is a magic bay horse in the legends from 12th century Europe derived from the chansons de geste. He is renowned for his strong spirit and is able to adjust his size to his riders.
Nicholas Byate was found in Colchester, Essex in 1297 and later in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Byard research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1561, 1570, 1574, 1602, 1625, 1638, 1642 and 1643 are included under the topic Early Byard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Byard include Byart, Byard, Biard, Byatt and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include:
In the United States, the name Byard is the 15,252nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
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 Byard or a variant listed above: