Hibbard
An English surname usually treated as a spelling variant of Hibbert, ultimately from the old personal name Hubert or possibly Herbert.
The #4,496 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,156 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Most historical sources treat Hibbard as a variant of Hibbert, itself a surname from the medieval personal name Hubert, and sometimes grouped with related forms such as Hibberd and Hibbitt. Hubert comes from an old Germanic name built from elements meaning "mind" or "thought" and "bright" or "famous," while some older writers also allowed a connection with Herbert in a few lines of descent. The name was carried into England through medieval French usage and then developed many regional spellings in English records.
History
Lower specifically lists Hibbard and Hibberd as forms to be compared with Hibbert, and Bardsley groups Hibbard among a wide family of Hubert-style spellings. In the 19th century the surname was already established in England and appears in American records as well. Because spellings varied so much in parish and census records, Hibbard often reflects local pronunciation rather than a separate origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Nineteenth-century surname books often grouped Hibbard with a whole cluster of look-alikes, because the same family could appear under several spellings in different records.
From the historical record
“family. HIBBARD. HIBBERD. See Hlbbert. HIBBERT. The Illbberts of Marple, Birtles, &c., co. Chester, claim descent from Paganus Uiibo-t, who acconq^anied Richard Ca3ur-de-Lion in the Crusade of 1190. See Ormcrod's Cheshire. An A-Sax. bishop of Liclificld was called Hygbert. HJG 157”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom