Hylard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Hylard

The name Hylard is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in Surrey. As a local name, it was derived from the local 'at the hill-garth' or 'hill-yard.' 1

"Hildyard, formerly Hildheard, [was] an ancient personal name. The family are said to have sprung from Robert Hildheard, of Normanby, Yorkshire, in the year 1109." 2

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Old German Hildigard, Hildiardis (f) ‘war stronghold’ 3

And finally, the name could also have been an occupational name for a hellier who was a roofer, tiler, or thatcher. 4

Early Origins of the Hylard family

Early History of the Hylard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hylard research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1109, 1485, 1537, 1602, 1612, 1619, 1640, 1660, 1670, 1685, 1689, 1690, 1716, 1729, 1743, 1746, 1781 and 1814 are included under the topic Early Hylard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hylard Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hylard family name include Hilliard, Hildyard, Hillard, Hildheard and others.

Early Notables of the Hylard family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Christopher Hildyard (d. 1602), whose tomb is in Church of St. German in Winestead, as well as a Hildyard, Sheriff of Nottingham. Nicholas Hilliard (1537-1619), was an English miniature painter, court painter to Elizabeth and to James I. His son, Lawrence Hilliard (d. 1640), English miniature painter continued his father's work. 5Thomas Hildeyard (1690-1746), was a Jesuit, of a respectable Lincolnshire...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hylard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hylard family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hylard surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John and Gregory Hilliard, who settled in Virginia in 1623; Charles Hilliard settled in Virginia in 1635; George Hilliard settled in Virginia in 1659.