Show ContentsBeardsley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Beardsley

What does the name Beardsley mean?

The ancestry of the name Beardsley dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the village named Bardsley in Lancashire. The village itself traces its name back to the Old English words Beornred's leah, which mean Beornred's wood or Beornred's clearing. The personal name Beornred means warrior counsel.

Early Origins of the Beardsley family

The surname Beardsley was first found in Greater Manchester at Bardsley where the earliest record of the place name was Berdesley in 1422. 1 Bardsey is a small village in the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire and dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Berdesei. 2 "Bardsley House, overlooking the glen of the Medlock, is the seat of John Jonah Harrop, Esq. Many generations of the Bardsley family held the estate, under the lords of Ashton, by the feudal payment of a rose and one penny, annually: the property subsequently came, by marriage, to the Tetlows." 3

Early History of the Beardsley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beardsley research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1640 is included under the topic Early Beardsley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beardsley Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Beardsley have been found, including Bardsley, Bardsey, Bardsea, Bardsly, Bardesey and many more.

Early Notables of the Beardsley family

More information is included under the topic Early Beardsley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beardsley Ranking

In the United States, the name Beardsley is the 4,835th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4


Beardsley migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Beardsley, or a variant listed above:

Beardsley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mr. William Beardsley, aged 30, (1605-1661), from Stratford-upon-Avon, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Planter", he went on to Stratford, Connecticut 5
  • Mrs. Mary Beardsley, aged 26, from Stratford-upon-Avon, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Planter", she went on to Stratford, Connecticut 5
  • Miss Mary Beardsley, aged 4, from Stratford-upon-Avon, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Planter", she went on to Stratford, Connecticut 5
  • Mr. John Beardsley, aged 2, from Stratford-upon-Avon, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Planter", he went on to Stratford, Connecticut 5
  • Mr. Joseph Beardsley, aged 6 months, from Stratford-upon-Avon, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Planter", he went on to Stratford, Connecticut 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Beardsley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Beardsley, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1819 6
  • Joseph Beardsley Jr., who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1821 6
  • Mr. Beardsley, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
  • A F Beardsley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 6
  • W Beardsley, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1860 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Beardsley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Beardsley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Crannel B. Beardsley U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 7
  • Rev. John Beardsley U.E. (b. 1732) born in Ripton [Huntington], Connecticut, USA who settled in Maugerville, Saint John River, New Brunswick c. 1783 he was Chaplain for the Loyal American Regiment, he died in 1810 in Kingston, King's County, New Brunswick 7
  • Mr. Paul Beardsley U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 7
Beardsley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Lazarus Beardsley, who landed in Canada in 1828

Beardsley migration to Australia +

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

Beardsley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Richard Beardsley, English convict who was convicted in Beford, Befordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Beardsley (post 1700) +

  • Samuel Beardsley (1790-1860), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1831-1833) and (1833-1836)
  • William Shane "Bill" Beardsley (1901-1954), American politician, 31st Governor of Iowa from 1949 to 1954
  • William Beardsley (1605-1661), one of the founding settlers of Stratford, Connecticut
  • Monroe Beardsley (1915-1985), American philosopher
  • Dick Beardsley (b. 1956), American Marathon athlete in the 1980s
  • Craig Beardsley, American Olympic swimmer
  • B. J. Beardsley, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Connecticut 1st District, 1920 9
  • Arthur Beardsley, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Plymouth, 1910 9
  • Abel S. Beardsley, American politician, Representative from Connecticut 4th District, 1882, 1900, 1902 9
  • A. H. Beardsley, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1936 9
  • ... (Another 49 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Hood
  • Mr. Geoffrey Vivian Beardsley (b. 1923), English Joiner 4th Class serving for the Royal Navy from Bournmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 10


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  6. 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)
  7. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm


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