Aylward Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Aylward last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Aylward last name
Meaning of the Aylward last name: guardian (Æthelweard). Aylward is a surname from the Old English personal name Æthelweard, brought to Ireland after the Anglo-Norman invasion. The Aylwards settled in County Waterford, where they held land at Faithlegg. The last name remains most common in Waterford and Kilkenny today. It is a surname of Norman settlers.
Arms associated with the Aylward name
Coats of arms associated with the Aylward surname follow Irish heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Aylward family history
This is only a glimpse of the Aylward story. The full Aylward history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Aylward coat of arms. Get the full Aylward report.
Aylward name FAQ
What does the Aylward name mean?
Guardian (Æthelweard). Common variants include Aylwood, Elward.
Where does the Aylward surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, England and Australia.
Is there a Aylward coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Aylward coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923).