Kirkeyerde History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Kirkeyerde family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in or near the precincts of a church. Kirkeyerde 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 Kirkeyerde family

The surname Kirkeyerde 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 Kirkeyerde family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirkeyerde research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1379, 1520, 1604, 1606 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Kirkeyerde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirkeyerde 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 Kirkeyerde include Churchyard, Churchard, Chircheyerde, Kirkeyerde, Cykarth, Cyrkarth, Kirkeyerd and many more.

Early Notables of the Kirkeyerde family

Distinguished members of the family include Thomas Churchyard (1520-1604), a prominent English author from Shrewsbury. "In his youth was attached to the household of the famous Earl of Surrey, whose memory he fondly cherished throughout his long life. He commenced his literary career when Edward VI...
Another 46 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kirkeyerde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kirkeyerde family to Ireland

Some of the Kirkeyerde 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.

Migration of the Kirkeyerde family

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 Kirkeyerde or a variant listed above: Thomas Churchyard who sailed to Virginia in 1654.