Youd (surname)

YOUD is an English surname mostly found in Cheshire and Flintshire.

Variants of the surname are Youde, Eaude and Yould, however Youds is not part of this group.

The earliest record dates from 1427 and in 1562 the name appears in Little Budworth in Cheshire.

Origin of the name

Currently little is known about the meaning or origin of this unusual and rare surname, it is not listed in any books of British surnames.

This has led to theories of Huguenot, Flemish or Jewish roots which cannot be substantiated.

Viking roots are a more likely possibility as the Wirral peninsula was colonised by Norwegian Vikings from 902 AD onwards and Viking settlements also existed further inland in West Cheshire.

It is hoped that DNA profiling from suitable Youd descendants will prove or disprove this theory.

Early records

The earliest document located so far that mentions Youd or one of its variants are muster rolls of English soldiers serving in France during the Hundred Years' War.

1427 - John Eude, man-at-arms stationed in Rouen garrison

1430 - William Yoold, archer stationed in Avranches garrison

1437 - Davy Yoult, archer in field at the siege of Tancarville

The next early records are Parish registers listing baptisms, marriages and burials according to the law of 1538. However most churches only started to keep records a few decades later.

1561 - Parish records start in Little Budworth

1562 - Katrena, daughter of Thomas Yolde & Johanne Holbrocke is baptised in St Peter's Church, Little Budworth

1585 - Parish records start in Hawarden

1586 - Edward, son of John Ewde is baptised in St Deiniol's Church, Hawarden

The surname then spread to nearby towns and villages in West Cheshire and Flintshire, becoming relatively numerous in Frodsham, Hawarden, Oscroft, Kinnerton, Chester and eventually established in Liverpool from about 1740.

Over 40 variants of the surname were recorded in the 16th and 17th century, some examples are: Yewd, Yeud, Yeoud, Yowd, Yeowed, Yowood, Eude, Eaude, Ewd, Hude, Hewde etc.

Today only Youd, Youde, Eaude and Yould are in use.

Distribution of the name

670 people named Youd lived in England & Wales in 2002, together with 227 Youde, 104 Yould and 11 Eaude, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The Youd surname has now spread to many parts of the British Isles and through emigration also to USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Key emigrants of interest to family historians are:

James Youd (born 1815 Oscroft) 1849 to Utah & California

Samuel Youd (born 1808 Oscroft) 1851 to Missouri

Thomas Youd (born 1813 Tarvin ) 1851 to Utah

John Youd (born 1838 Bradley) 1865 to Connecticut

Robert Moreton Youd (born 1846 Bradley) 1880 to New Zealand

George Youd (born 1855 Bradley) 1880 to New Zealand

Frederick Youd (born 1883 Liverpool) 1905 to Massachusetts

Fred Youd (born 1883 Waverton) 1908 to Chicago

John Youd (born 1879 Disley) aft 1911 to Vancouver

Earl Youd (born 1889 Waverton) 1913 to Chicago

John (Jack) Youd (born 1879 Wybunbury) bef 1914 to Australia

Reginald Victor Youd (born 1897 Liverpool) 1939 to USA

People with surname Youd

Sam Youd (1922-2012), British science fiction writer, best known by his pseudonym John Christopher,
T. Leslie Youd (1939-), American geotechnical engineer
Yehouda Morin Youd (1950-), Israeli Artist-painter of Sderot Israël, best known for his #blanodo,

References

[1]
YOUD of Cheshire & YOUDS of Wirral [2]
The Soldier in Later Medieval England [3]
Surnames of England & Wales in 2002, ONS data [4]

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