The ancient Gaelic form of the Irish name Anwerd was Mac an Bhaird, which means son of the bard.
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Early Origins of the Anwerd family
The surname Anwerd was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
Early History of the Anwerd family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anwerd research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1749 and 1794 are included under the topic Early Anwerd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anwerd Spelling Variations
Ireland in the Middle Ages was inhabited by very few literate people. Therefore, the proper spelling of names was decided by a very select few. The surviving records for the time demonstrate that these scribes were often not consistent in their efforts for there are many spelling variations of certain common names. Some of the variations for the name Anwerd include MacWard, McWard, Macanward, MacCanward, MacAward and many more.
Early Notables of the Anwerd family
More information is included under the topic Early Anwerd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Anwerd family
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 Anwerd: Elizabeth McWard, who arrived in Philadelphia from Londonderry in 1851; William McWard, who settled in Philadelphia in 1860; Anabella Ward, who came to Philadelphia in 1857.
