Buzzard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Buzzard comes from a name for a person named after the bird of the same name. The buzzard was a fairly common bird in medieval England.

Early Origins of the Buzzard family

The surname Buzzard was first found in Bedfordshire at Leighton-Buzzard, a markettown and parish, and the head of a union, in the hundred of Manshead. "The adjunct to the name is either derived from Bosard, the name of a family in the county, who were knights of the shire in the reign of Edward III., or from Beau desert; the prevailing opinion being in favour of the latter." 1

Early History of the Buzzard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buzzard research. Another 224 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1177, 1258, 1273, 1274, 1500 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Buzzard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buzzard Spelling Variations

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 Buzzard include Buzzard, Boszart, Bozard, Busard, Buzard, Bussard and many more.

Early Notables of the Buzzard family

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

Buzzard Ranking

In the United States, the name Buzzard is the 9,997^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Buzzard migration to the United States +

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 Buzzard or a variant listed above:

Buzzard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andreas Buzzard, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 3

Buzzard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Buzzard who arrived in Philadelphia in 1857

Buzzard migration to Australia +

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

Buzzard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Samuel Buzzard, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Buzzard (post 1700) +

Sir Anthony Wass Buzzard CB, DSO, OBE (1902-1972), British Royal Navy officer and Director of Naval Intelligence from 1951 to 1954
Professor Kevin Mark Buzzard (b. 1968), British mathematician
Sir Edward Farquhar Buzzard (1871-1945), prominent British physician, Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Oxford (1928-1943)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
South Australian Register Monday 26th December 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Epaminondas 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/epaminondas1853.shtml