This name appears to be territorial in origin. A family "de Bard" or "de Barde" held considerable land in Lanarkshire from the family of de Bigres. Henry de Barde witnessed the gift by Thomas de Hava to the House of Soltre between 1202—28 (Soltre, p. 15). In 1228 the great tithes of the land of Richard de Baard lying on the south side of the Auan (Avon) were granted to the monks of Lesmahagow (Kelso, 186,280), and sometime before 1240 Richard Bard (without "de") gave to the same monks the whole land of Little Kyp, a gift confirmed by King Alexander II in 1240 (ibid., 181—82). Robertus Bard was one of the witnesses to the confirmation charter of the churches of Innyxwic and Liggerwod to the monks of Paisley c. 1272—79 (RMP., p. 119). Four individuals of the name rendered homage in 1296: Fergus de Barde of Lanarkshire, from whom may be descended the Bairds of Kipp and Evandale; Nicol Bard and John Bard, also of Lanarkshire; and Duncan Barde of Stirlingshire (Bain, II, p. 205—6,210). The seal of Nicol bears a hare or rabbit to dexter and S' Nichul Bard; and the seal of Sir John bears within round tracery, a shield with a cross raguly and S' Johannis de Barde (ibid., II, p. 531,539). Robert Barde who was made prisoner of war in 1315 and ransomed in 1320 (ibid., III, 456,697), may be the Robert Barde who had a crown charter from Robert I of the barony of Cambusnaythen with pertinents on a reddendo of ten chalders of wheat and ten of barley (RMS., I, 79). He is probably also the Robert of Bard or de Barde, knight, who witnessed resignation of lands in the barony of Drumelzier in 1331 (Hay, 9), and appears as sheriff of Lanark in 1329 (ER., I, p. 116,123). Dovenaldus Bard received a legacy from the Queen, 1328 (ER., I, p. 116), William Barde a Scots prisoner of war was put in irons at Carlisle, 1332 (Bain, III, 1074), and Fergus de Bard was a witness in Glasgow, 1327 (REG., II. 241). Robert de Barde and his wife appealed in a case against Margaret Fraser, lady of Malkarston, 1369 (APS., I, p. 535). John Bard occurs la an indenture of 1389 (REM., 169), and again ten years later as John de Barde (ibid., 182). Simone Bayard was elected town officer in Aberdeen, 1398 (CRA., p. 375), Thomas Bard de Ordinhuf (Banffshire) was on the assize on the vicarage lands of Abirkerdor, 1492 or 1511 (REM., 203), and in 1526 James v granted to his familiar servitor, William Bard, the lands of Babnaduthy (RMS.). The name is common in the Stirling Commissariot Record between 1607 and 1800, in the Edinburgh Marriage Records, and Paterson (Ayr, II, p. 87) says it is an old name in the parish of Ballantrae. Of Baird the son of Terri who granted the church of Anwoth and the chapel of Cardiness to the Abbey of Holywooa about the middle of the twelfth century nothing is known, but he must have been a person of importance in his day. An old prophecy attributed to Thomas the Rhymer says "there shall be an eagle in the craig while there is a Baird in Auchmeddan." John Baird of Kirkintilloch (d. 1891) planned and carried out the construction of New York's elevated railroads on Second and Sixth avenues.

(Celtic) Bard.[Gaelic (and Irish) bard =Wel. bardd]

(Scottish) Descendant of the poet or bard; one who came from Bard, in Scotland.

Said to be the Scottish form of bard, or poet. Jamieson. This, however, is doubtful as to the surname, which in North Britain is widely spread. Its principal modes of spelling have been Bard, Byrd, Bayard. The last supports the tradition of a derivation from the south of France, the country of the Chevalier Bayard, the knight sans pew, sans reproche.

An old tradition in this family records that William the Lion, while hunting in one of the southwest counties, happening to wander from his attendants, was alarmed by the approach of a wild boar, and calling out for assistance, a gentleman of the name of Baird, who had followed the king, came up and had the good fortune to slay the object of the monarch's alarm. For this signal service, William conferred upon his deliverer large grants of lands, and assigned him for his coat of arms, a boar passant, and for his motto: "Dominus fecit," which arms are to be seen upon an ancient monument of the Bairds of Auchmedden in the churchyard of Banff.

An old prophecy of Sir Thomas Learmont, called Thomas the Rymer, says: "there shall be an eagle in the craig while there is a Baird in Auchmedden."

Before the Conquest Ralph Baiart granted lands at Fontenay le Tesson to the Abbey of Barherie, Normandy (MSAN vii. 144). The grant was confirmed by Robert Fitz-Erneis, a Tesson, and probably an ancestor of the Marmions or Percys. The latter houses and the Tessons bore a fesse, and so also did the descendants of Ralph Baiart, with a difference of three mullets. Thomas Bard and Rohais his wife granted the church of Burnonville to the Abbey of Bec (Mon. ii. 983). Jordan Bard occurs in Essex and Herts, 1130 (Rot. Pip.), from whom descended William B., who held two fees in 1165 from the See of London (Liber Niger). He was probably ancestor of Bard, Viscount Bellamont, a faithful follower of Charles I. Godfrey Baiard in 1165 held a barony in Northumberland, and from this line descended the great Washington; and from a branch which passed into Scotland 12th cent. (Chart. Kelso; Raine, North Durham, App. 32) descended the gallant Sir David Baird, the renowned Peninsular general, and the Baronets Baird. This family originally bore the same arms as Bard and Washington, a fesse with three mullets (Baird’s House of Baird).