MAYNARD
Maynard is a surname of English provenance that traces its roots to Germanic linguistic elements. The name was originally an occupational or descriptive label, bestowing upon the bearer qualities of strength and courage.
The personal name Maynard derives from the Old Germanic components maegen, meaning “strength,” and hard, meaning “brave” or “strong.” As a surname, this combination has been interpreted to signify “brave and strong” or “powerful and courageous.” The appellation appeared as a nickname for an individual possessing such attributes, and later entered hereditary usage.
Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, the name was introduced into England by the Normans under the form of the Old French Mainard or Meinard. Both of these are ultimately derived from the Old Germanic compounds Maganhard or Meginard, again composed of magin (strength) and hard (brave, hardy). The earliest documentary reference in England is found in the Pipe Rolls of Suffolk for the year 1195, where the name appears as Richard Mainard.
In the Domesday Book of 1086 a person named Meinardus is listed in Norfolk, and a later example occurs in the Assize Court Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202, where a witness is recorded as “Thomas filius Meinard.” By the late twelfth century the spelling evolved into Maynard, with occasional variants such as Mainerd.
An English family bearing the name can be traced back to Sir Richard Maynarde of Kirklevington, Yorkshire, a soldier who fought at Agincourt in 1415. In 1539, Elizabeth Maynard married Richard Reve at St. Pancras, Soper Lane, London, and a son, John, the offspring of Thomas Maynard, was christened at Harefield in 1542.
In the early seventeenth century an early emigrant, Elizabeth Maynard, age twenty‑two, departed from the Port of London bound for Virginia aboard the Primrose in July 1635. She was among the earliest settlers of that period to carry the name across the Atlantic.
The Maynard family was later granted a coat of arms described as a silver shield charged with a red chevron situated between three sinister hands couped at the wrist, all in red. The crest above the shield features a stag walking, proper, with antlers and hooves in gold. The family motto, translated from Latin as “A just hand is a precious ointment,” reads Manus justa nardus.
Throughout the centuries, bearers of the surname have maintained a connection to their Norman heritage and the Germanic roots that underscore the name’s connotations of strength and bravery.
Typical given names associated with the Maynard surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Maynard in...
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Maynard are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Digestive.
There are approximately 9,397 people named Maynard in the UK. That makes it the 995th most common surname in Britain. Around 144 in a million people in Britain are named Maynard.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Maynard
- Conor Maynard - Singer-songwriter, record producer, YouTuber and actor
- Patricia Maynard - Actress
- Nicky Maynard - Football player
- James Maynard - Mathematician
- Lois Maynard - Football player
- Paul Maynard - Politician
- Joan Maynard - Politician (1921 to 1998)
- Matthew Maynard - Test and County cricketer
- Alan Maynard - Health economist (1944 to 2018)
- Tom Maynard - Welsh cricketer (1989 to 2012)
- Constance Maynard - College head (1849 to 1935)
- Nigel Maynard - Royal Air Force air marshal (1921 to 1998)
- Quadir Maynard - Football player
- Edmund Maynard - Cricketer (1861 to 1931)
- Ian Maynard - Musician
- George Maynard - Film producer (1909 to 1976)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.