Boyd is a common Scottish name in Ulster Ireland, especially in County Derry. It derives from the Isle of Bute or the Gaelic "Buidhe" or "yellow." The Gaelic name form Bute is "Bod."
The first Boyds were vassals of the De Morevilles in Largs in Ayrshire. It has been thought the progenitor was Robert, son of Simon, one of two Norman brothers who founded the Stewart dynasty. He was called Robert Buidhe because he was blond. They were established in Ayrshire before the reign of Robert the Bruce.
The are related to the Montgomeries, and so came to the Ards Peninsula in the early 17th century, where the name is still numerous. Also common in county Antrim in Ballycastle.
A Sir Thomas Boyd of Bedlay was one of the 50 Scottish undertakers in King James Plantation. He received 1500 acres in the townland of Seein, barony of Strabane, County Tyrone and brought over many Boyds as settlers. The Manx name Mac Giolla Bhuidhe also settled in Ulster.
Courtesy of:
Robert Bell's "The Book of Ulster Surnames"
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