Bérard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The surname Bérard is derived from a nickname in the Old French. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demi-gods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk tales, mythology, and legends that portrayed animals behaving as humans. The Old French nickname Bérard, meant someone who was "as strong as a bear" having derived from Old French nickname berart.

Early Origins of the Bérard family

The surname Bérard was first found in Brittany, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They held a family seat in that province at Demaine where they were nobility from about the times of the Norman invasion of England in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Bérard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bérard research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1789 and 1828 are included under the topic Early Bérard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bérard Spelling Variations

The Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, and therefore, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Berard, Barrard, Berad and others.

Early Notables of the Bérard family

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

Bérard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bérard is the 6,664^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Bérard is ranked the 677^th most popular surname. 2 And in France, the name Bérard is the 552^nd popular surname with an estimated 8,436 people with that name. 3

Bérard migration to the United States +

Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Bérard family to immigrate North America:

Bérard Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Louis Berard, who arrived in Arkansas in 1905 4
Camille Berard, aged 20, who landed in America from Rochefosore, France, in 1908
Charles Berard, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1912
Eugene Berard, aged 55, who immigrated to the United States from Lyon, France, in 1912
Juliette Berard, aged 10, who landed in America from Molisres y Fice, France, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bérard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bérard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Gabriel Berard, son of Pierre and Isabelle, who married Geneviève Hayot, daughter of Jean-Adrien and Louise, in Quebec on 23rd October 1673 5

Bérard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Gabriel Berard, son of Gabriel and Geneviève, who married Marie-Angélique Desorey, daughter of Michel and Françoise, in Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec on 30th January 1713 5
François Berard, son of Gabriel and Geneviève, who married Madeleine Renaud, daughter of Jean-Bernard and Jeanne, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 26th October 1722 5
Jean-François Berard, son of Gabriel and Geneviève, who married Thérèse Renaut, daughter of Jean and Jeanne, in Charlesbourg, Quebec on 11th August 1722 5
Pierre Berard, son of Gabriel and Geneviève, who married Catherine Joly, daughter of Jean-Julien and Catherine, in Sorel, Quebec on 9th January 1724 5
Gabriel Berard, son of Gabriel and Geneviève, who married Thérèse Chevalier, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Catherine, in Sorel, Quebec on 24th November 1732 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bérard (post 1700) +

Bryan Wallace Berard (b. 1977), American professional NHL ice hockey player
Costan W Berard, American physician
Marcel Bérard (1933-2021), Canadian politician in the Quebec, Canada, Member of the Legislative Assembly (1973-1976)
André Bérard (b. 1940), Canadian businessman, President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of the National Bank of Canada
Armand Berard (1904-1989), French Diplomat, Ambassador to the UN
Léon Bérard (1876-1960), French politician and lawyer with l'Académie française
Victor Bérard (1864-1931), French classical scholar
Joseph Frédéric Bérard (1789-1828), French physician and philosopher
Christian Bérard (1902-1949), French painter and designer
Berard Haile O.F.M (1874-1961), American Franciscan friar

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.