Hibbitt Surname Facts

Hibbitt Name Meaning

1. from a pet form of the female personal name Isabel (see Hibbs 2).
2. from a pet form of the personal name Hilbert.

Hibbs

1. patronymic from a short form of Hibbard.
2. metronymic from the medieval female personal name Ibb, a reduced form of Isabel(le) (see Isbell).

Hilbert

English, French, Dutch, and German: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’.

Hibbard

English: variant of Hilbert.

Isbell

English: from the female personal name Isabel(l)(a). This originated as a variant of Elizabeth, a name which owed its popularity in medieval Europe to the fact that it was borne by John the Baptist’s mother. The original form of the name was Hebrew Elisheva ‘my God (is my) oath’; it appears thus in Exodus 6:23 as the name of Aaron’s wife. By New Testament times the second element had been altered to Hebrew shabat ‘rest’, ‘Sabbath’. The form Isabella originated in Spain, the initial syllable being detached because of its resemblance to the definite article el, and the final one being assimilated to the characteristic Spanish feminine ending -ella. The name in this form was introduced to France in the 13th century, being borne by a sister of St. Louis who lived as a nun after declining marriage with the Holy Roman Emperor. Thence it was taken to England, where it achieved considerable popularity as an independent personal name alongside its doublet Elizabeth.

(Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4)

Name History and Origin

Origin: English

Hibbitt is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Hibbitt is a name that comes from the Norman personal name Hildebert, which is composed of the Germanic elements hild, which meant battle or strife, and berht, which meant bright or famous. The Norman Conquerors imported a vast number of Norman French personal names into England, which largely replaced traditional Old English personal names among the upper and middle classes.

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Hibbert, Hibart, Hibbard, Hibbart, Hibbet, Hibbets, Hibbett, Hibbotts, Hubert, Hubbert, Hubbard and many more.

First found in Cheshire where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Motto Translated: By cultivating fidelity and rectitude.

(From www.HouseOfNames.com Archives)

Top Occupations for Hibbitt in 1881

(Compiled by Ancestry.co.uk for head of households from the 1881 UK Census records)

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