Contents [hide]

Heyward History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Heyward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient name of Heyward finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a person who was in charge of protecting an enclosed forest from damage by vandals, animals, and poachers. The name was originally derived from the Old English haye, which meant enclosure. 1 Another source notes the name as an occupational name as in " 'the hayward,' a keeper of cattle, literally 'hedge-watcher'". 2

"The duties of the hayward were of a varied nature. His chief task seems to have been to guard the cattle at pasture; but he also protected the crops from thieves, trimmed the hedges, etc. In old poems he is generally represented as carrying a horn." 3

And to underscore the Saxon heritage, one learned source bluntly says "there is nothing Norman in this name." 4

Early Origins of the Heyward family

The surname Heyward was first found in Lancashire at Heywood, a town and chapelry, in the township of Heap, parish and union of Bury, hundred of Salford. "Heywood, in the Saxon, denotes the site of a wood in a field, or a wood surrounded by fields; a family of the same name resided here for many generations. " 5 Heywood Hall was long the residence of the ancestors of the baronet's family. 1

One source notes "the son of John, the eldest son of William de Wiggenshall, who took the sir-name of Heyward, Hauuard, or Howard; and was the first of this Family of that Sir-name, which, as I take it, he took from the office of Heyward there." 6

The first record of the family was found in the Domesday Book of 1086 when Hauuart, an early spelling of the family name was listed in Yorkshire. 7

Years later, Haward de Wihton was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166 and later again, William, Stephen Haward was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cheshire in 1332. 7

As an occupational name, early records were scattered as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Adam le Hayward in Devon; Roger le Hayward in Buckinghamshire; and Alicia le Heyward in Huntingdonshire.

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Robertus Hayward and Magota Hayward. 2

Early History of the Heyward family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heyward research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1497, 1530, 1535, 1564, 1569, 1570, 1578, 1580, 1598, 1599, 1600, 1627, 1630, 1633, 1641, 1650, 1663, 1677, 1687, 1693, 1702, 1746, 1756, 1776 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Heyward History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heyward Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Heyward family name include Hayward, Heyward, Haward, Haywood, Heywood and others.

Early Notables of the Heyward family

Distinguished members of the family include

Thomas Heyward Jr. of South Carolina, (1746-1809), born in St. Luke's Parish, Province of South Carolina, was a signer of the American Declaration of Independence on 4 July 1776

Heyward Ranking

In the United States, the name Heyward is the 4,557^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 8

Heyward migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Heyward surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Heyward Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Humphrey Heyward, tailor from Aylesford, who landed in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 9
Thomas Heyward, from Aylesford, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 9
Mrs. Susanna Heyward, from Aylesford, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 10
John Heyward, from Aylesford, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 10
Elizabeth Heyward, from Aylesford, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heyward migration to Australia +

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

Heyward Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Ms Jane Heyward, aged 25, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship "Bolton"

Heyward migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Heyward Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Heyward, (b. 1839), aged 17, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 11
Mr. William Heyward, (b. 1838), aged 19, British sawyer travelling from London aboard the ship "Roehampton" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th March 1858 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Heyward (post 1700) +

Cameron Phillip Heyward (b. 1989), American football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League
DuBose Heyward, American novelist and poet, best known for his first novel "Porgy" which served as the basis of George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess"
Louis M. Heyward (1920-2002), American film and television screenwriter
Jason Heyward (b. 1989), American baseball player
Duncan Clinch Heyward (1864-1943), American politician, Governor of South Carolina
Dorothy Heyward (1890-1961), American playwright
Craig Heyward (1966-2006), American footballer
Thomas Heyward Jr. (d. 1809), American politician, Delegate to Continental Congress from South Carolina, 1776-78; Signer, Declaration of Independence, 1776; Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives, 1778-84 13
James F. Heyward, American politician, Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, 1854-55 13
A. S. Heyward, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Philippine Islands, 1924 13
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html