Origins Available: English,
French
Bechard is a name that first reached
England following the
Norman Conquest in 1066. It is a name for a person who was a butcher. The name could also be derived the family's original place of residence,
Beaucir, in Calvados,
Normandy.
Early Origins of the Bechard family
The surname Bechard was first found in
Lincolnshire. They were originally from Beaucir in Calvados in
Normandy, and arrived in
England with Duke William in 1066.
Early History of the Bechard family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bechard research.
Another 165 words (12 lines of text) covering the year 1066 is included under the topic Early Bechard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Bechard Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of
spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Bowker, Bowcher, Boucher and others.
Early Notables of the Bechard family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Bechard Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Bechard family to the New World and Oceana
Because of the political and religious discontent in
England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Bechard name or one of its variants:
Bechard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James Bechard, aged 35, who arrived in Ohio in 1813 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Bechard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- David Bechard, aged 23, who arrived in America from Paris, in 1904
- Joseph Bechard, aged 40, who arrived in America from Lacaore, France, in 1907
- Paul Bechard, aged 22, who arrived in America, in 1918
- Clifford Bechard, aged 17, who arrived in America, in 1918
Contemporary Notables of the name Bechard (post 1700)
- D. Y. Béchard, Canadian-born, American novelist, winner of the 2007 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book
- Kelly Bechard (b. 1978), Canadian gold medalist ice hockey player, member of the Canadian National Team
- François Béchard (1830-1897), Canadian politician, Senator for De Lorimier, Quebec (1896-1897)
- Claude Béchard (1969-2010), Canadian politician and Quebec provincial Cabinet minister, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec (1997-2010)
- Albert Béchard (1922-2002), Canadian politician and notary, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Bonaventure (1962-1979)