Maynard
An old Germanic surname meaning “strong and brave,” later also shaped by French forms like Menard.
The #953 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,468 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Maynard comes from an ancient Germanic personal name built from *magan/*megin, meaning “power” or “strength,” plus *hard/*hardi, meaning “hardy,” “brave,” or “strong.” In other words, the original sense was close to “mighty and brave.” The name appears in medieval forms such as Meginhard and was later filtered through French spellings like Menard and Mainard.
History
The surname is well attested in medieval England, often as a name borne by clerics and other record holders in 12th- and 14th-century documents. It belongs to the large class of surnames taken from an ancestor’s given name rather than from occupation or place. Related spellings and forms spread across England and the Continent, with Barber noting cognates in German, Dutch, Flemish, and French.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same hard-ending Germanic element seen here is also found in many old names that conveyed toughness or valor, which helped this surname survive in several closely related European forms.
From the historical record
“Annals of the P.M., A.D. 1205. MAYNARD (A. - Fr. - Teut.) Power -Brave \0. T ent. Meginhard, etc. — O.Sax. megin = O. E. mmgen = O.H.Ger. megin=O.N.megtn, main, power, strength+0.Sax.}iard=O.K. h(e)ard = O.H.Ger. hart = O.N. har%-r, hard, brave] MAYNE - Main(e, q.v. MAYO (A.-Fr-Heb.) for Mayhew, q.v". (Celt.) Bel.…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)