Although we cannot be certain of the origins of this name, many people with the surname believe that it originated in France. The surname BAYARD is quite common in France and BYARD may well be the anglicised version.
If this is the case then we may claim to have a particularly famous ancestor in Chevalier de Bayard, (1473-1524) who was a French knight renowned for his valour and chivalry. His family motto was 'sans peur et sans reproche'.
According Trevor Byard in 'Kettle-Broth for Tea', there are four derivations of the surname:
BAYARD- a Huguenot (French Protestant) surname. The first 'a' was dropped when the refugees arrived in Britain.
BYARD- of Dutch origin. Literal translation, 'bell ringer'.
BYARD-old English. Literally a dweller at or by an enclosure or yard.
BYARD-A leather strap crossing the breast, used by men to drag wagons in coal mines.
Researching the BYARD family tree has identified many interesting and occasionally notorious Byards. Perhaps the most interesting is Sir Thomas Byard who was a naval captain and who commanded the Victory (later Nelson's flagship) towards the end of the 18th C. He was involved at the Battle of the Nile, (August 1st. to 2nd., 1798) being the commander of a squadron of five ships.
Phillip Thomas Byard Clayton ('Tubby' Clayton) of Toc H fame who was a chaplain to the British Forces in WW1. Tubby Clayton was, as his name implies, descended from Sir Thomas Byard.
Jaki Byard was a particularly well known jazz musician.
There are more details about these people in the section on 'famous Byards'