Surname Tjards - Meaning and Origin
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Tjards: What does the surname Tjards mean?
The last name Tjards derives from the German words "tjaeren" and "tjaerding," which are likely derived from the Old High German "teran" and "diern," meaning “to tear apart” and “servant” respectively. As a result, the last name Tjards likely originated as a reference to the servitude of a family or clan.
Historically, Tjards were the people of a district or territorium in the Netherlands called “Drenthe”, a province in the north eastern part of the country. As a result, the surname Tjards is associated with northern Netherlands.
The name Tjards ultimately translates to “Count of the Tiers”, and suggests that the family was of noble descent or had strong ties with the local government. It is also possible that the name was adopted to describe an individual in a position of power or influence in their local community.
Although evidence of the usage of the surname Tjards dates back to the 14th century, due to the destruction of impending wars including the Thirty Years' War and the Napoleonic wars, records of its origin and usage may have been lost.
Today, the surname Tjards remains in use throughout the Netherlands, as well as in other parts of the world. While its original meaning may be unknown, the name Tjards continues to serve as a reminder of the once strong and influential ties to northern Netherlands.
Order DNA origin analysisTjards: Where does the name Tjards come from?
The last name Tjards is a Dutch patronymic surname which is derived from the given name "Tjar" or "Tjard". In English, this name is translated to mean “son of Tjar”. This surname is not overly common today, but is found most often in The Netherlands.
In 2018, there were 1,258 people in The Netherlands that shared the last name of Tjards, concentrated in the provinces of Groningen, Overijssel, and Friesland. In comparison, in 2017, the population of Tjards was 1,715. This suggests that the population of people with the last name Tjards in the country is slowly decreasing.
Large migration waves from The Netherlands in the 19th and 20th centuries mean that the surname Tjards is not exclusively found in The Netherlands anymore. Today, members of the Tjards family can be found scattered throughout Europe, North and South America, as well as Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, although the numbers of surname bearers living outside of The Netherlands are likely negligible.
The surname of Tjards is also found in the United States. There were 31 people reported to the US Census who shared this name in the year 2000, although that number has likely increased in the past two decades.
Overall, the last name of Tjards is most concentrated in The Netherlands, although it is found scattered throughout the world.
Variations of the surname Tjards
The surname Tjards is of Dutch and German origin and may have either an occupational or locational meaning. There are an abundance of variants, spellings and surnames with the same origin as Tjards. These are some of them:
Tijards, Tejards, Tejerts, Tjardes, Tjardesen, Tjart, Tjarth, Tjartsen, Thards, Thijard, Thijarts, Thijerts, Thoin, Thoinas, Thoon, Thoonen, Toin, Toini, Toinos, Toinou, Toon, Toonen, Toonies, Tunes, Thune, Thunes.
These spellings are likely the product of poor record keeping and the difficulty of transcribing names accurately through a variety of dialects in the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. Regional variants, such as with the letter 'j' versus 'i', could explain the different spellings of this surname.
Surnames with a similar origin include Thijard, Thijarts, Thoin, Thoon, Toin, Tunes and Thune. This further indicates that the surname has Dutch and German roots.
The occupation meaning is believed to be connected to the old Dutch practice of burning clay to make ceramic tiles, which is why some of the spellings are related to 'Tjards'. The locational meaning of the surname is likely to be derived from the town name 'Thaerd' or 'Tuaard', which was located in the Netherlands or Germany.
In conclusion, the surname Tjards has an abundance of variants, spellings and surnames with the same origin. The occupation meaning is likely to be connected to the making of ceramic tiles, while the locational meaning likely arises from the town name 'Thaerd'.
Famous people with the name Tjards
- Jan Tjards van Starkenborgh Stachouwer: Dutch politician
- Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, née Princess Maria Anna of Saxe-Altenburg: Russian Grand Duchess from the House of Saxe-Altenburg, born with the last name Tjards
- Nathan Tjards: Dutch cinematographer
- Armin Tjards: Dutch film director
- Hendrik Tjards: Dutch composer
- André Tjards: Dutch composer and harpist
- Jan Tjards Walraven: Dutch politician
- Arnold Tjards: Dutch composer
- Theo Tjards: Dutch art historian and graphic designer
- Frans Tjards: Dutch composer and jazz musician