Lard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient name of Lard finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a person who worked as a larder, derived from the Old French word lardier, originally 'a tub to keep bacon in', later, 'a room in which to keep bacon and meat'; hence, 'officer in charge of the larder'. Essentially, the original bearer of the surname was a superintendent for a place where bacon and meat was housed. 1

Occupational names frequently were derived from the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. In this case the product was bacon. 2

Early Origins of the Lard family

The surname Lard was first found in the Domesday Book of 1986 where the original Latin form Oilard Lardarius was listed in Huntingdonshire. 3 4 Durand Lardarius was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1130 4 and in the same year, Bernard Larderer was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Wiltshire. A few years later, Peter de Larder was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Hampshire in 1173 and Thomas del Larder was found in the Calendar of the Close Rolls for 1304. Interestingly, David Larderer is identical with David le Lardener (c.1170) 2

Early History of the Lard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lard research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1173 and 1616 are included under the topic Early Lard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lard 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 Lard family name include Larder, Larderer, Lardar, Lard and others.

Early Notables of the Lard family

Distinguished members of the family include

Peter de Larder, a prominent 12th century landholder in Hampshire

Lard 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 Lard surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Lard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hester Lard, who landed in Maryland in 1660 5
Mary Lard, who arrived in Maryland in 1676 5

Lard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sarah Lard, aged 2, who arrived in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
Jane Lard, aged 8, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
James Lard, aged 30, who arrived in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
Margaret Lard, aged 31, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
William Lard to Indiana in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Lard, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749

Contemporary Notables of the name Lard (post 1700) +

Allen Lard, American bronze medalist for golf at the 1904 Olympic games

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)