Contents [hide]

Huard History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Huard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Etymology of Huard

What does the name Huard mean?

It was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Huard was formed. The name was derived from the Old French name Huard or the Old German name Howard. The former name is derived from the Old German name Hugihard, which literally means heart-brave. The latter name, which is also spelled Howart, is a cognate of the Old Norse name Haward and means high or chief warden.

Occasionally, the surname Huard may have been applied to someone who worked at a dairy farm at which female sheep were kept. In this case, the derivation is from the Old English words eowu, which means ewe, and hierde, which means herd.

In other cases, the name was adopted from where the person was born as in "William, son of Roger Fitz Valevine, took the name of Howard from being born in the Castle of Howard, in Wales, in the time of Henry I." 1 Another source sums up the diversity of the family's origin thusly: "Camden, the most important witness of all, places Howard amongst the names in use in England at the time of the Conquest. In all probability this name has had more than one origin." 2

Early Origins of the Huard family

The surname Huard was first found in Norfolk, where one of the first records of the family was Elwin le Heyvard, who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls listed Alice le Heyward in Huntingdonshire and Geoffrey le Hayward in Cambridgeshire. Later, William Heyward or Howard was Sheriff of Norwich, Norfolk in 1657. 3

"The church [of East Winch in Norfolk] is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower; in the east window are the arms of Vere and Howard, and on the north side is the ancient chapel of St. Mary, the burial-place of the latter family. Near Grancourt House, which was the seat of Sir William Howard, who purchased the manor in the reign of Edward the First, are some slight remains of a religious house." 4

But the family quickly became widespread. Epworth in Lincolnshire was another ancient family seat. "This place, which is the principal town in the Isle of Axholme, a district comprising the north-west portion of the county, was anciently the residence of the Howard family, who had a castellated mansion here, of which nothing now remains except the site, where within the last 70 years have been dug up some of the cannon belonging to the fortifications." 4

In Westmorland, at Levens in the parish, union, and ward of Kendal another early branch of the family was found. "On the eastern bank of the river Kent, which is crossed by a bridge on the Kendal road, is Levens Hall, the venerable mansion of the Howards, embosomed in a fine park, and crowned with towers, which, overtopping the highest trees, command extensive prospects on every side. The Howard family built the chapel, a parsonage, and schools, and endowed the living. " 4

Early History of the Huard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Huard research. Another 200 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1443, 1485, 1520, 1524, 1536, 1542, 1585, 1587, 1588, 1615, 1624, 1626, 1651, 1654, 1669, 1675, 1679, 1689, 1698, 1701, 1703, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Huard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Huard Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Huard include Howard, Howerd and others.

Early Notables of the Huard family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443-1524) and 1st Earl of Surrey, who fought for King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485; Catherine Howard (circa 1520-1542), a cousin of Anne Boleyn and the 5th wife of Henry VIII, executed in 1542; Alethea Howard, 13th Baroness Furnivall, Countess of Arundel (1585-1654) wife of Thomas Howard, 21st Earl of Arundel; Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire (1587-1669), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons; Charles Howard, 2nd Earl...
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Huard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Huard World Ranking

In the United States, the name Huard is the 15,175^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Huard is ranked the 934^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,820 people with that name. 6 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Huard is the 334^th popular surname. 7 France ranks Huard as 1,162^nd with 4,742 people. 8

Migration of the Huard family to Ireland

Some of the Huard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Huard migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Huard were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Huard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mathieu Huard, who married Jeanne Jourdain in America in 1707

Huard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Huard, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 9

Huard migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Huard Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jean Huard, who married Marie-Anne Amiot in Quebec in 1670
Jean Huard, son of Marin and Julienne, who married Anne-Marie Amiot, daughter of Mathieu and Marie, in Quebec on 30th April 1670 10
François Huard, who married Jeanne Brunet in Champlain, Quebec in 1684
François Huard, son of Jérôme and Anne, who married Jeanne Brunet, daughter of Michel and Blanchard, in Champlain, Quebec on 12th April 1684 10

Huard Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mathieu Huard, son of Jean and Anne-Marie, who married Jeanne Jourdain, daughter of Guillaume and Jeanne, in Quebec on 21st September 1705 10
Jacques Huard, son of Jean and Anne-Marie, who married Angélique Boucher, daughter of Jean and Angélique, in Lévis, Quebec on 19th November 1716 10
Jacques Huard, who married Angélique Boucher in Lévis, Quebec in 1716
Etienne Huard, son of Jean and Anne-Marie, who married Thérèse Dolbec, daughter of François and Anne, in Saint-Augustin, Quebec on 6th November 1719 10
Joseph Huard, son of Mathieu and Jeanne, who married Suzanne Lemieux, daughter of Michel and Marguerite, in Lévis, Quebec on 26th November 1737 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Huard (post 1700) +

John Roland "Big John" Huard (1944-2025), American former NFL linebacker and CFL coach
Brock Anthony Huard (b. 1976), former American NFL football quarterback
Damon Paul Huard (b. 1973), former American NFL football quarterback
Charles Huard (1874-1965), Canadian merchant, descended from a family of industrialists, specializing in the leather industry
Georges Huard (1887-1962), Canadian author who researched the history of Normandy and wrote: "L'Art en Normandie" (1939)
Léonard Jean Aubry Huard de Saint-Aubin, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 11
Victor-Alphonse Huard (1853-1929), French-Canadian churchman, naturalist, writer and editor
Roland "Rolly" Huard (b. 1902), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey centre from Ottawa
Camille Huard (1951-1976), Canadian boxer at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Laurent Huard (b. 1973), French football coach
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Huard 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: Sola virtus invicta
Motto Translation: Virtue alone invincible.

Sources +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 10) Léonard Huard. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html