Bellord

This very interesting name is a variant spelling which derives from the Huguenot emigre name "Belliard or Beliad". There are first recorded in the early 17th Century when on December 1634, Jacques Beliad was a witness at the christening of his son at the French Huguenot Church, Threadneedle Street, London. On January 10th 1692, Henry Belliard, the son of Henry Belliard was christened, also at the same church. The meaning of the name is believed to be "The Ram" from the olde French "Belier", the name holders being believed to originate from the Poitou Region of France. It was common practice for former French emigres to conceal their "French" origin particularly during the Mid 18th Century and the Napoleonic Wars. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Bellord, which was dated March 29th 1798, a witness at Holborn, Lying in Hospital, London, during the reign of King George III, "Farmer George", 1760 - 1820. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.