Habard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The Habard family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the baptismal name Hubert. 1 As the naming tradition grew in Europe baptismal names began to be introduced in many countries. Baptismal names were sometimes given in honour of Christian saints and other biblical figures. There are very few Christian countries in Europe that did not adopt surnames from these religious figures.

However, another source claims the name could have been a nickname "from the small Falcon or Hawk so called (Old French hobert, a hobby, hawk)." 2

Early Origins of the Habard family

The surname Habard was first found in Norfolk as "Hubbard is a characteristic Norfolk name. The early form of the name in this and the neighbouring counties, both in Domesday times and in the centuries immediately following, was Hubert, occasionally written Huberd; and we find that Robert Hubert or Hoberd was rector of Seaming at the close of the 14th century." 3

Over in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Petrus Hubard; Alicia Hubard; Isabella Hoberd; and William Hoberd as all residing there at that time.

"The Visitation of Essex (1541) gives the surname of the family of Huberd indiscriminately as Huberd, Hobert, Hubert, and Hobart. Memorials of a family spelt indifferently Hubbard or Hobart are (or were) to be found in Little Plumstead Church, Norfolk." 1

Some of the family did migrate to Scotland, but much later on and in small numbers: "Patrick Hobart, was burgess of Dundee in 1649." 4

Early History of the Habard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Habard research. Another 177 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1507, 1560, 1588, 1593, 1611, 1621, 1624, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1632, 1647, 1654, 1656, 1657, 1667, 1683, 1695, 1699, 1746, 1756 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Habard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Habard Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Habard include Hobart, Habart, Habbard, Hobert and others.

Early Notables of the Habard family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir James Hobart (d. 1507) of Monks Eleigh, Suffolk, Attorney General during the reign of King Henry VII. , He was the youngest son of Thomas Hobart of Leyham in Norfolk. 5 Sir Henry Hobart, 1st Baronet SL (c. 1560-1625), of Blickling Hall, an English judge and politician. He was Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, from a family long settled in Norfolk and Suffolk, was great-grandson of Sir James Hobart. [q. v.]. He was the son of Thomas Hobart of Plumstead, Norfolk. 5 He would establish the first of the two baronetcies for the Hobart...
Another 110 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Habard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Habard family to Ireland

Some of the Habard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Habard family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Habard were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Edmund Hobart settled in Charleston in 1630; Joshua, Jeremiah, Peter, Sarah, and Thomas Hobart settled in Boston in 1635.

The Habard Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Auctor pretiosa facit
Motto Translation: The Giver makes them valuable.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print