Byrd (surname)
  Broxton The location of Broxton in Cheshire | |
| Pronunciation | bɝd |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Old 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] |
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]
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 where it has been present since long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.[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
- Alma W. Byrd (1924–2017), American politician
- Bill Byrd (1907–1991), baseball player
- Bobby Byrd (born 1934), funk musician
- Butch Byrd (born 1941), AFL Hall of Fame
- Charles Willing Byrd (1770–1828), first sitting justice on the United States District Court of Ohio
- Charlie Byrd (1925–1999), jazz guitarist
- Chris Byrd (born 1970), heavyweight champion in boxing
- Curley Byrd (1889–1970), American university administrator, educator, athlete, coach, and politician
- Damiere Byrd (born 1993), American football player
- Darryl Byrd (born 1960), American football player
- David Edward Byrd (born 1941), an American graphic designer and painter
- Dennis Byrd (1966–2016), American football player
- Donald Byrd (1932–2013), jazz trumpeter
- Harry Byrd (baseball) (1925–1985)
- Harry F. Byrd (1887–1966), U.S. senator for Virginia
- Harry F. Byrd Jr. (1914–2013), U.S. senator for Virginia from 1965 until 1983
- Henry Roeland Byrd (1918–1980), blues musician
- Imhotep Gary Byrd, radio host and musician
- Jairus Byrd (born 1986), American football player
- James Byrd Jr. (1949–1998), murder victim
- Jefferson Byrd (born 1971), American politician
- Jerry Byrd (1920–2005) Lap steel guitarist
- Joseph Byrd (born 1937), rock musician
- Jonathan Byrd (musician) (born circa 1970), folk singer-songwriter
- Leo Byrd (born 1937), American basketball player
- Marlon Byrd (born 1977), baseball player
- Mary E. Byrd (1849–1934), American educator
- Mary Willing Byrd (1740–1814), second wife of Colonel William Byrd III
- Paul Byrd (born 1970), baseball player
- Petri Hawkins-Byrd (born 1957), bailiff "Byrd" on the Judge Judy TV series
- Richard Byrd (born 1962), Former player for the NFL Houston Oilers
- Richard E. Byrd (1888–1957), admiral, polar explorer, aviator
- Robert C. Byrd (1917–2010), U.S. Senator, Democrat from West Virginia
- Sammy Byrd (1910–1981), baseball player for the New York Yankees and PGA Tour golfer
- Steve Byrd (1955-2016), English rock musician
- Tracy Byrd (boxer) (born 1964)
- Tracy Byrd (born 1966), country singer
- William Byrd (1540–1623), English composer
- William Byrd I (1652–1704), member of colonial Virginia's House of Burgesses
- William Byrd II (1674–1744), founder of Richmond, Virginia
- William Byrd III (1728–1777), member of the House of Burgesses, and military officer
- Winifred Byrd (1884–1970), American concert pianist
See also
References
- ^ "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Byrd Family History". ancestry.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Last name: Byrd". surnamedb.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
- ^ "Byrd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms". houseofnames.com. Retrieved 23 June 2018
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