Thibault
A French surname from the old Germanic personal name Theobald, meaning “people-bold” or “bold among the people.”
The #5,878 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 52,597 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Thibault is the French form of the old personal name Theobald, ultimately from Germanic elements meaning “people” and “bold, brave.” Medieval Latin records the name as Theobaldus, and French developed a range of spellings such as Thibaut, Thibaud, and Thiebaud. As a surname, it began as a patronymic, identifying someone as the descendant or family of a man named Thibault.
History
The name was widely used in medieval France and remained productive as a surname in many spelling forms. Historical writers also note related English surname forms such as Tibbald, Tibbets, and Tippets, reflecting later Anglicized developments from the same given name. In North America, Thibault is most often associated with French and French-Canadian families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books note that the same name generated a surprisingly wide family of spellings across French and English records.
From the historical record
“THIBAUD THIBAULT THIBAUT THIEBAUD THIEBAULT THIEBAUT (Fr.) People-Rold [see”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)