Kephart
A surname most likely from the German personal name Gebhard, later reshaped in American spelling and pronunciation.
The #6,330 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,281 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kephart is generally taken as an Americanized form of a German surname ultimately from the personal name Gebhard. Gebhard combines elements meaning roughly “host, troop” and “hardy, brave,” so the original sense was something like “brave in battle” or “strong with the host.” The spelling has been adapted over time to fit English-speaking usage.
History
The name appears in German immigrant communities in North America, where spellings often shifted to match local pronunciation and handwriting. In the United States, Kephart became established as a surname distinct in form from the older German source, while remaining part of the wider family of surnames derived from Gebhard and related forms such as Gebhart and Gebhardt.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same German name-family also produced surnames like Gifford in some older English forms, showing how far names could change as they traveled.
From the historical record
“Kendrick = Kiindig, Keneagy = Knagi, Kephart — Gebhard, Kepler, p. 305 Kepner, p. 305 Kern, p. 305 Kesselberg, p. 315 Kessler, p. 312”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names