Shepard
An occupational surname meaning “shepherd,” originally referring to someone who tended sheep.
The #882 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,830 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Shepard is a spelling variant of Shepherd, from Old English scep-hierde, meaning “sheep herder” or “sheep keeper.” The first element refers to sheep, and the second to a herdsman or guardian. Over time, the name was recorded in several spellings, including Shepard, Shephard, Sheppard, and Shepherd.
History
Historical surname dictionaries treat Shepard as one of several common spellings of the same occupational name. The variant has been well established in English records for centuries and is especially familiar in Britain and later in the United States. Modern bearers usually share the same origin as Shepherd rather than a separate independent surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th- and early-20th-century surname books often note Shepard as a common “misspelling” of Shepherd, though it became established as a surname in its own right.
From the historical record
“SHEPARD SHEPHARD SHEPHE(A)RDJ (Eng.) Shepherd [O.E. scedp-hierde] SHEPHARDSON 1”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)