Today's generation of the Villieard family bears a name that was brought to
England by the wave of emigration that was started by the
Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman given name
Willard. This name is derived from the Germanic roots
will, meaning
desire, and
heard, meaning
strong or hard. [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8) Early Origins of the Villieard family
The surname Villieard was first found in east
Kent and
Sussex where they were Lords of the Manor of Eastbourne. The family were originally named Villiard, or Guillarrt, and were from Caen in
Normandy in pre Conquest times.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) In the
Domesday Book they are recorded variously as Wielardus, Wilardus, and Wlward.
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) [4]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. Further speculation on the origin of this distinguished family name of the U.S.A., can be deduced from the Willard Memoir by Joseph Willard published in Boston Mass. in 1858.
[4]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. Woollard is a small village on the River Chew in the Chew Valley in East
Somerset. Some of the first records of the name include: Wihelardus de Trophil who was listed in the History of
Northumberland in 1168 and Wilard de Pikeeden who was listed in the same source in 1227. The
Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Emayn Wylard. William Willarde was listed in
Kent in 1602 and Nicholas Willard from
Kent married Jane Coumber at Canterbury in 1690.
[5]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Villieard family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Villieard research.
Another 223 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1617, 1630, 1634, 1605, 1676, 1634, 1643, 1672, 1692, 1692, 1640, 1707 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Villieard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Villieard Spelling Variations
Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of
spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to
England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Willard, Wilard, Viliard, Villiard, Wielard, Willardby, Willardsey, Willardsham, Willardstone and many more.
Early Notables of the Villieard family (pre 1700)
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Simon Willard (1605-1676), English settler to Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1634, he was one of the thirteen heads of families in Concord that signed Reverend Peter Bulkeley's 1643 petition to Governor John Endecott in support of Ambrose Martin...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Villieard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Villieard family to the New World and Oceana
Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Villieard or a variant listed above: in addition to Simon, aforementioned, Mary his wife; Jo Willard settled in St. Christopher in 1635; George Willard settled in New
England in 1635; Richard Willard in Virginia in 1654.