Gaylerd is an ancient Norman name, that would have been used in Britain soon after the Conquest of the island in 1066. This name was given to a person who was a happy, joyous, and bold person.
The name Gaylerd derives from the nickname the galliard,
which means the bold or the joyous.
Early Origins of the Gaylerd family
The surname Gaylerd was first found in county Devon
where they held a family seat
from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy
, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Early History of the Gaylerd family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gaylerd research.Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 135 and 1351 are included under the topic Early Gaylerd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gaylerd Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations
. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Gaylord, Gaillard, Galliard, Gaylor, Gayleard and others.
Early Notables of the Gaylerd family (pre 1700)
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gaylerd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gaylerd family to the New World and Oceana
Because of the political and religious discontent in England
, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Gaylerd name or one of its variants: John Gaylord who settled in Nantasket in 1630; William Gaylord settled there the same year.