Wolarde is one of the many new names that came to
England following the
Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Wolarde 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 Wolarde family
The surname Wolarde 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 Wolarde family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolarde 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 Wolarde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Wolarde Spelling Variations
Multitudes of
spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the
Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Willard, Wilard, Viliard, Villiard, Wielard, Willardby, Willardsey, Willardsham, Willardstone and many more.
Early Notables of the Wolarde 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 Wolarde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Wolarde family to the New World and Oceana
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for
Ireland, North America, and
Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in
England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Wolarde 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.