| ![Show Contents]() Churchyard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The origins of the Churchyard name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in or near the precincts of a church. Churchyard belongs to the large class of Anglo-Saxon topographic surnames, which were given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Early Origins of the Churchyard familyThe surname Churchyard was first found in Staffordshire, where one of the first records of the name was John atte Chircheyerde who was listed there in 1298. Early History of the Churchyard familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Churchyard research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1379, 1520, 1604, 1606 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Churchyard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Churchyard Spelling VariationsBefore the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Churchyard were recorded, including Churchyard, Churchard, Chircheyerde, Kirkeyerde, Cykarth, Cyrkarth, Kirkeyerd and many more. Early Notables of the Churchyard familyDistinguished members of the family include - Thomas Churchyard (1520-1604), a prominent English author from Shrewsbury...
 Migration of the Churchyard family to Ireland
Some of the Churchyard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Churchyard migration to the United States | + |
To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Churchyard family emigrate to North America:
Churchyard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Thomas Churchyard who sailed to Virginia in 1654
- Barbary Churchyard, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 1
- Samuel Churchyard, who landed in Maryland in 1676 1
- Tho Churchyard, who arrived in Virginia in 1695 1
Churchyard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Gertrude Ella Churchyard, aged 15, who arrived in America, in 1895
Churchyard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Frances Churchyard, aged 18, who arrived in America, in 1904
- Hannah B. Churchyard, aged 38, who arrived in America, in 1906
- Charlotte Churchyard, aged 23, who arrived in Buffalo, New York, in 1915
- Mary Churchyard, aged 51, who arrived in Buffalo, New York, in 1921
| Contemporary Notables of the name Churchyard (post 1700) | + |
- Thomas Churchyard (1798-1865), English lawyer and painter from Woodbridge
- Steve Churchyard, English record producer, recording engineer and mixer
- Bill Churchyard (1878-1957), former Australian rules footballer
- 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)
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Churchyard migration to the United States 
England
Ireland
