Bayard \ba-yard, baya-rd\ as a boy's name is pronounced BAY-erd. It is of French origin, and the meaning of Bayard is "auburn-haired". Seigneur de Bayard, "the irreproachable and fearless", was a 16th-century French knight and national hero renowned for his valor and purity of heart. In French medieval romance, Bayard (or Baiardo, or Bajardo) is a magical horse given to the hero Rinaldo. The horse was a bright bay color. In America, three generations of Bayards were Senators from Delaware in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Bayard has 4 variant forms: Baiardo, Bajardo, Bay and Baylen.