Haward History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Haward

What does the name Haward mean?

Haward is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who was in charge of protecting an enclosed forest from damage by vandals, animals, and poachers. The name was originally derived from the Old English haye, which meant enclosure. 1 Another source notes the name as an occupational name as in " 'the hayward,' a keeper of cattle, literally 'hedge-watcher'". 2

"The duties of the hayward were of a varied nature. His chief task seems to have been to guard the cattle at pasture; but he also protected the crops from thieves, trimmed the hedges, etc. In old poems he is generally represented as carrying a horn." 3

And to underscore the Saxon heritage, one learned source bluntly says "there is nothing Norman in this name." 4

Early Origins of the Haward family

The surname Haward was first found in Lancashire at Heywood, a town and chapelry, in the township of Heap, parish and union of Bury, hundred of Salford. "Heywood, in the Saxon, denotes the site of a wood in a field, or a wood surrounded by fields; a family of the same name resided here for many generations. " 5 Heywood Hall was long the residence of the ancestors of the baronet's family. 1

One source notes "the son of John, the eldest son of William de Wiggenshall, who took the sir-name of Heyward, Hauuard, or Howard; and was the first of this Family of that Sir-name, which, as I take it, he took from the office of Heyward there." 6

The first record of the family was found in the Domesday Book of 1086 when Hauuart, an early spelling of the family name was listed in Yorkshire. 7

Years later, Haward de Wihton was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1166 and later again, William, Stephen Haward was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cheshire in 1332. 7

As an occupational name, early records were scattered as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Adam le Hayward in Devon; Roger le Hayward in Buckinghamshire; and Alicia le Heyward in Huntingdonshire.

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Robertus Hayward and Magota Hayward. 2

Early History of the Haward family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haward research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1497, 1530, 1535, 1564, 1569, 1570, 1578, 1580, 1598, 1599, 1600, 1627, 1630, 1633, 1641, 1650, 1663, 1677, 1687, 1693, 1702, 1746, 1756, 1776 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Haward History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haward Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Haward has appeared include Hayward, Heyward, Haward, Haywood, Heywood and others.

Early Notables of the Haward family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir John Hayward (c. 1564-1627), a noted Elizabethan historian, lawyer and politician, born near Felixstowe, Suffolk; John Heywood (1497?-1580), an English poet, friend of Sir Thomas More, and a court musician and entertainer for Henry VII, Edward VI, and Queen Mary; Thomas Heywood (c.1570-1641), an English dramatist best known for "A Woman Killed with...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Haward Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haward migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Haward arrived in North America very early:

Haward Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Hugh Haward, who landed in Virginia in 1623 aboard the "Starr" 8
Susan Haward, who landed in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "George" 8
Henry Haward, aged 7, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Francis" 8
Williami Haward, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1635 8
John Haward, who landed in Virginia in 1642 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Haward Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Haward, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 8
Thomas Haward, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 8

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-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)