Byrd (surname)

Byrd is a surname of Anglo-Saxon origin.[3] It is a variant spelling of the English word "bird,"[4] which is derived from the Old English pre-7th Century word "bridde" (Middle English "brid" or "bird").[5] Another common variant of this surname is "Bird."[6]

A European Goldfinch common to the region
This article is about the surname Byrd. For other uses, see Byrd.
Byrd
Broxton
The location of Broxton in Cheshire
Pronunciationbɝd
Origin
Word/nameOld English
Meaning"Bird”
Region of origin England
 Cheshire
Other names
Variant form(s)Bird (common), Byrde, Bride, Brid, Bridde, Le Byrd, Le Brid, Le Bridde[1][2]

Origin and variants

Byrd is a metonymic occupational or descriptive name that was originally used for a person who worked as a bird catcher (name shortened from "birdclever"),[7] or someone who had bird-like characteristics (i.e., bright eyed or active, or perhaps one with a beautiful singing voice).[8][9] A part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain, the surname Byrd was first found in Cheshire at Broxton, a village and civil parish in North West England.[10] The surname was first recorded in Essex towards the end of the 12th Century as "Le Brid(d)."[11]

Until the gradual standardization of English spelling in the last few centuries, English lacked any comprehensive system of spelling. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents, meaning that a person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. As such, different variations of the Byrd surname usually have the same origin.[12]

Notable people with the surname

See also

References
  1. "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  2. "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  3. "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  4. "Byrd Family History". ancestry.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  5. "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  6. "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  7. "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  8. "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  9. "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  10. "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  11. "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
  12. "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
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