An English and French surname, Maynard comes from the Old French terms ‘mainard’ and ‘meinard’ which means strong and hardy. A spelling variation for Maynard is Mainard. In England the Maynard families started in the Kent region. They spread into the city of London, Suffolk, Sussex and especially Essex county. Many left England in the 19th century to settle in Australia and Canada. The Maynard surname is very common in Australia. In Scotland the Maynard family name is very popular in Inverness-shire, Midlothian, Lanarkshire, Dumfries-shire and Renfrewshire. Within the United States the Maynard surname is very common in Ohio. Also many Maynard families in West Virginia, Kentucky, New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas. Famous: Isaac Maynard (a survivor of the Titanic in 1912), John Maynard (founder of the town of Marlborough, Massachusetts in the 17th century), David S. Maynard (19th century pioneer of Seattle, WA), Edward Maynard (19th century firearms inventor), Don Maynard (professional football player), Robert C. Maynard (co-founder of the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education), Joyce Maynard (author) and Ken Maynard (movie film stuntman and actor).