Date
Meaning & History
Meaning and origin uncertain with various opinions relating to English "dull" plus the suffix ard, Old English dol meaning "conceited or proud" and ard meaning "hard", the French "d'Illard", or a variation of similar English names like Tilliard or Tilyard. Whatever the origin, it is likely that the use as a first name is taken from either one of several places in the U.S. called Dillard, or the surname for which most were named. Dillard, Georgia is named after early settler John Dillard (1760-1842); Dillard University is named after educator James H. Dillard (1856-1940), and Dillard's department store is named after founder William T. Dillard (1914-2002). American rapper Flo Rida (1979-) was born Tramar Dillard.