Kephart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Early Origins of the Kephart family

The surname Kephart was first found in Silesia, where this family name dates back to at least the 9th century. The name is derived from the Old High German elements "geb" which means "gift" and "hard" meaning "brave, hardy." One of the first records of the name was Gebhard of Lahngau (c. 860-910) of the Conradine dynasty, son of Odo (died 879) who was Duke of Lotharingia (903-910.) A few years later, Saint Gebhard (949-995) was a bishop of Constance (979-995) and founded the Benedictine abbey of Petershausen in 983.

Early History of the Kephart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kephart research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1010, 1023, 1036, 1060, 1088, 1547, 1584, 1600, 1622 and 1802 are included under the topic Early Kephart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kephart Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Gebhardt, Gebhard, Gebheart, Gebhart, Gephard, Gephardt, Gephart, Gebheard, Gebbard, Gebbart, Gebbardt, Gabhart and many more.

Early Notables of the Kephart family

Notables of the period with the surname Kephart were Gebhard I (died 1023), known as Gebhard of Swabia, Bishop of Regensburg from 994 to 1023. He achieved fame for his generosity to the poor Black Forest farmers around 990 A.D. He was succeeded by Gebhard II, called Gebhard von Hohenwart, who was the bishop of Regensburg (or Ratisbon) from 1023 to 1036. His son, Gebhard III, called...
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kephart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kephart Ranking

In the United States, the name Kephart is the 9,434^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Kephart migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kephart Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Kephart, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 2

Kephart Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Harry Kephart, aged 33, who immigrated to America, in 1895

Kephart Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Rosa Kephart, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
James Kephart, aged 42, who landed in America, in 1918
George Kephart, aged 26, who landed in America, in 1921
Samuel Kephart, aged 55, who landed in America, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Kephart (post 1700) +

William P. Kephart (1915-1942), American Naval officer, eponym of the USS Kephart (DE-207)
Horace Kephart (1862-1931), American travel writer and librarian, author of Our Southern Highlanders
Beth Kephart, American author of non-fiction, poetry and young adult fiction, National Book Award Finalist for her book "A Slant of the Sun: One Child’s Courage"
John W. Kephart, American politician, Justice of Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, 1919-40; Chief Justice of Pennsylvania State Supreme Court, 1936-40 3
Harmon Mortimore Kephart (b. 1865), American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Fayette County, 1895-96; Pennsylvania State Treasurer, 1917-21 3
Burton Kephart, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1952 3
A. Evans Kephart, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 2nd District, 1939-54 3
Elza Kephart, Canadian director, producer, and writer

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html