Hazard
An English surname probably from the Anglo-Norman word for “chance” or “risk,” though some bearers may simply be linked to the related surname Hassard.
The #8,176 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,158 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hazard is usually explained as coming from Anglo-Norman French hasard, meaning chance, risk, or peril. In medieval naming, such a word could become a nickname for someone thought daring, unlucky, or associated with some incident involving risk. Some 19th-century surname writers also treated Hazard as a later spelling or modification of Hassard, so the exact line of descent is not always certain.
History
Lower explicitly glossed Hazard as a family name from the Anglo-Norman word for chance or hazard, and linked it with an anecdotal Devon tradition. Other surname authorities, including Bardsley and Lower, also suggested that Hazard and Hassard may overlap in records, which makes early spelling history a little murky. The name is established in England by the late medieval period and later appears in Anglo-American records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word hazard entered English through French and ultimately traces back to Arabic gharaz, “game of chance,” which is why the surname still feels unusually vivid today.
From the historical record
“Stafford. HAZARD. See Hassard. HAZELDEN. An ancient manor, in or near Dallington, co. Sussex. The name ap- jjears to have been corrupted to Haseldine, Haseltine, Hazeldine, Hesseltine, &c. HAZLEDINE. See Hazleden. HAZELGROVE. From residence near one.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom