An English and Scottish surname, the name Bird comes from the Old English term ‘bridde’ which refers to a bird, one with feathers. There is also the Middle English term ‘brid’ which refers to a nesting bird. The spelling variations for Bird include Byrde and Byrd. In England the regions with the higher numbers of families with the Bird surname include the city of London, Essex, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Across most of Scotland the Bird surname is located. The larger numbers of Bird households are in Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Fife and East Lothian. Within the United States the original Bird families established themselves in New York, Virginia, Georgia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois. Famous: Andrew Bird (songwriter and musician), George Bird (professional baseball player), Larry Bird (professional basketball player), Norman Bird (English actor), Tony Bird (footballer from Wales), Vere Bird (Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda), Michael J. Bird (English writer), John Bird (founded The Big Issue and Big Issue Foundation in England), Jackie Bird (sports broadcaster from Scotland), Henry Edward Bird (chess champion from England), Isabella Bird (19th century historian and writer), Edward Bird (18th century artist from England) and Greg Bird (rugby player from Wales).