Huber
A common German surname that usually began as a short form of Hubert, a name meaning “bright mind” or “bright intellect.”
The #933 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,306 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Huber is generally treated as a surname from the personal name Hubert, which goes back to Old High German elements often explained as meaning “mind, thought” plus “bright” or “famous.” In other words, the original sense was something like “bright intellect” or “shining mind.” The surname is therefore best understood as a patronymic or name-based family name, rather than a word with an occupational meaning.
History
The name is especially well established in German-speaking areas, where it is one of the most common surnames. Historical name books also connect it with French and English forms of Hubert and related spellings such as Houbart and Hubert. In English sources, Huber is usually treated as a continental form rather than a native English surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In one 20th-century German surname guide, Huber is noted as being extremely common in Munich city directories, with the umlauted form Hüber much less frequent.
From the historical record
“of Hubert. HUBER. See Hubert. HUBERT. The personal name. Among its derivatives in English family nomen- clature we have Hubbard, Hibbert, Hib- bins, Hibbs, Hibson, or Ibson, and probably Ibbotsou. HUCKETT. See Huggett, HUCKIN. BrobablyHnghkin, a diminu- tive of Hugh, like Huggin.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom