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Origin / History of the Maynard Name

Thought to be of Norman origin, it is believed this surname was introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066.  Derived from the Old French personal name ‘Mainard’, Mainerd ‘Meinard’, from the Old Germanic ‘Maganhard’, ‘Meginard’, and composed of the elements ‘magin’, strength, with ‘hard’, hardy, brave, strong; hence, ‘strength-strong’.  ‘Meinardus’, (without surname) is noted in the 1086 Domesday Book of Norfolk.  The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Mainard, which was dated 1195, in the ‘Pipe Rolls of Suffolk’; Thomas filius (son of) Meinard is listed as a witness in the Assize Court Rolls of Lincolnshire 1202; an English family called Maynard can trace their descent from Sir Richard Maynarde of Kirklevington, Yorkshire, who fought at Agincourt in 1415.  In November 1539, Elizabeth Maynard married Richard Reve in London, and John, son of Thomas Maynard, was christened in 1542, London.  

Coat of Arms / Crest
A Coat of Arms is bestowed upon individuals, not families.  They are not transferable, but may be handed down and derived by family members.

A Coat of Arms granted to the Maynard family is a silver shield with a red chevron between three red sinister hands couped at the wrist, the Crest being a stag trippant proper, attired and unguled gold. The motto ‘Manus justa nardus’ translates as ‘A just hand is a precious ointment’. However, it is unlikely this Coat of Arms or Motto is connected to the Dorset Maynard family.

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