History of your Surname
Get access to Yard family records.Start a free trial

Yard Family History

Yard Name Meaning

English (Somerset): topographic name for someone who lived ‘in the yard’ or from some minor placed named with Middle English yerde (from Old English geard ‘enclosure yard’ or Old English gerd gyrd ‘virgate thirty acres’). A yardland (30 acres) was a medieval unit of land tenure.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Hard, Bard, Ward, Card, Barr, Byard, Hand, Bird, Gard, Gadd

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Yard family from?

You can see how Yard families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Yard family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Yard families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 20 Yard families living in New Jersey. This was about 54% of all the recorded Yard's in USA. New Jersey had the highest population of Yard families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Yard surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
Mapbox
© Mapbox © OpenStreetMap Improve this map

What did your Yard ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Yard. 20% of Yard men worked as a Farmer and 23% of Yard women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Yard were Clerk and Clerk. .

View Census Data for Yard | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    20%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Salesman
    10%
  • Clerk
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    23%
  • Secretary
    10%
  • Teacher
    8%
  • Clerk
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Yard family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Yard. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Yard census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Yard

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Yard. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Yard immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 20,000 military records available for the last name Yard. For the veterans among your Yard ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Yard military records

You've only scratched the surface of Yard family history

Discover More

What is the average Yard lifespan?

Between 1948 and 2004, in the United States, Yard life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 1968. The average life expectancy for Yard in 1948 was 51, and 81 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Yard

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Yard family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Yard last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial