Show ContentsSellard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Picts, an ancient Scottish tribe, were the ancestors of the first person to use the name Sellard. It was a name for a merchant, someone who worked in cellars, and a saddler. Sellard is an occupational surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Occupational surnames were derived from the primary activity of the bearer. In the Middle Ages, people did not generally live off of the fruits of their labor in a particular job. Rather, they performed a specialized task, as well as farming, for subsistence. Other occupational names were derived from an object associated with a particular activity. This type of surname is called a metonymic surname. This surname applies to a variety of occupations. In the case of a merchant, the surname Sellard derives from an ancient derivitave of the Old English word, sell(en), which means, to sell. It also comes from the Old English word, sellan, which means to hand over, or deliver. In the sense of a person who worked in cellars, Sellard is a metonymic occupational name, which comes from the Anglo Norman French word, celler. The cellars referred to in this example, would have been in mansions and other great houses. In the final case, that of a saddler, the surname Sellard comes from the Anglo Norman French word, seller, which is a derivative of the Latin word sellarius, which means seat, or saddle. This ancient occupation was extremely important in the Middle Ages, as horses were the primary mode of transportation.

Early Origins of the Sellard family

The surname Sellard was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Sellard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sellard research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1281, 1482, 1630, 1646, 1671, 1698, 1700 and 1705 are included under the topic Early Sellard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sellard Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Sellard has appeared Sellers, Sellars, Sellors and others.

Early Notables of the Sellard family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Seller (ca. 1630-1698), English hydrographer and compass maker who published the first sailing directions for England in 1671, eponym of the Seller Glacier, Antarctica. Abednego Seller (c. 1646-1705), son of Richard Seller of Plymouth, was an English non-juring divine and controversial writer. 1 John Seller (fl. 1700), was hydrographer to the king, compiler, publisher, and seller of maps, charts, and geographical books, and was...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sellard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Sellard migration to Australia +

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

Sellard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Sellard, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 1st January 1850, arriving in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia 2


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia


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