Guard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Guard family

The surname Guard was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1275 when Richard and John Gard held Lands.

Early History of the Guard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guard research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1605, 1606, 1645, 1662 and 1697 are included under the topic Early Guard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guard Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Guard has been recorded under many different variations, including Gard, Guard, Garde, Guarde and others.

Early Notables of the Guard family

Distinguished members of the family include William Dugard, or Du Gard, (1606-1662), English schoolmaster and printer who printed many important documents and propaganda, first in support of Charles I and later of Oliver Cromwell. He was the son of the Rev. Henry Dugard and was born at the Hodges, Bromsgrove...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guard Ranking

In the United States, the name Guard is the 14,892^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Guard migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Guard or a variant listed above:

Guard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Peter Guard, who landed in Virginia in 1664 2

Guard migration to Australia +

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

Guard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Guard, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Oriental,"
Mr. William Guard, (b. 1854), aged 22, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "Star of India" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 16th June 1876 3

Guard migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Guard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Guard, who landed in Sound & Cloudy Bay, New Zealand in 1827
J Guard, who landed in Sydney Bay, New Zealand in 1839

Contemporary Notables of the name Guard (post 1700) +

Donald David "Dave" Guard (1934-1991), American folk singer, songwriter, arranger and recording artist

The Guard Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Toujours fidele
Motto Translation: Always faithful.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf