Origins Available: English,
French
The ancient roots of the Billard family name are in the
Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Billard comes from when the family lived in
Somerset. As a
local name, it was derived from the local
at the hill-garth. The name could also have been an
occupational name for a
hellier who was a roofer, tiler or thatcher.
Early Origins of the Billard family
The surname Billard was first found in
Yorkshire where they held a
family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the
Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Billard family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Billard research.
Another 331 words (24 lines of text) covering the years 1109, 1485, 1537, 1602, 1612, 1619, 1640, 1660, 1670, 1685, 1716, 1729, 1743, 1781, and 1814 are included under the topic Early Billard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Billard Spelling Variations
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The
spelling variations under which the name Billard has appeared include Hilliard, Hildyard, Hillard, Hildheard and others.
Early Notables of the Billard family (pre 1700)
Notables of the family at this time include Sir Christopher Hildyard (d. 1602), whose tomb is in Church of St. German in Winestead, as well as a Hildyard, Sheriff of...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Billard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Billard family to the New World and Oceana
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in
England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left
England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Billard arrived in North America very early:
Billard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- John Peter Billard, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 [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)
Billard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
- Jehanne Billard, who landed in Acadia in 1636
- Pérette Billard married in 1662 in Quebec
Contemporary Notables of the name Billard (post 1700)
- Barbara "Bobbi" Billard (b. 1975), American glamour model, actress, and former professional wrestler
- Commandant Frederick C Billard (1873-1932), sixth Commandant of the United States Coast Guard from 1924 until his death [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Frederick Billard. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Frederick Billard. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_C._Billard - Pierre Joseph Billard, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Pierre Billard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html - Martine Billard (b. 1952), French politician, Member of the French National Assembly for Paris I (2002-2012)
- Brian Billard, Australian politician, Member for Newland, South Australia (1979-1982)
- Émile Billard (1852-1930), French gold medalist sailor at the 1900 Summer Olympics
- Joël Billard (b. 1953), French politician, Member of the Senate of France
- Lani Billard (b. 1979), Canadian actress, best known for her role as Elizabeth "Busy" Ramone on the television series Ready or Not from 1993-1997