Hulbert History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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England

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The name Hulbert was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old English given name Holbert. Holbert is thought to be a corruption of the Old English personal name Holdbearht, which is composed of the elements hold, which means friendly, and berht, which means bright. 1

The variant Holberton is by extension derived from "holbert" + "tun" and claims Holberton, (Holbeton) Devon as its founding. This parish dates back to 1229 when it was known as Holbouton and literally meant "farmstead in the hollow bend." 2

Early Origins of the Hulbert family

The surname Hulbert was first found in Wiltshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. This distinguished family held estates at Corsham and Wooten Basset in Wiltshire. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a census initiated by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in 1066, these lands were held by Miles Crispin, a powerful tenant-in-chief. Conjecturally, the Hulberts were descended from a Norman noble who held his lands from Miles Crispin. Corsham was the King's Land, but St. Stephen of Caen held the Church.

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. By example, the Latin form, Holbertus, was listed in the Archaelogia Cantiana in 1168. William and John Holdebert were both listed in Warwickshire in the Pipe Rolls of 1205 and in the Assize Rolls of 1219 in Yorkshire. 3

"The Hulberts of Malmesbury may be able to trace their pedigree back to Thomas Hulbert, the pious clothier of Corsham, who, as we learn from a brass in Corsham Church, 'Christianly finished his course with powerfull prayer to God upon Tuesday, being the 16 October, 1632.'" 4

Early History of the Hulbert family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hulbert research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1660, 1680, 1778, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1834, 1837, 1839, 1857, 1867 and 1888 are included under the topic Early Hulbert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hulbert Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Hulbert, Hulbirt, Hulbat, Hulbart, Houlbert, Houlbart, Hullbert and many more.

Early Notables of the Hulbert family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Charles Hulbert (1778-1857), English miscellaneous writer, son of Thomas Hulbert of Hulbert Green, near Cheadle, Cheshire, born at Manchester on 18 Feb. 1778, and educated at the grammar school of Hal...
Charles Augustus Hulbert (1804-1888), his eldest son, born at Coleham, near Shrewsbury, on 31 Dec. 1804, was educated at Shrewsbury School and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He graduated B.A. in 18...

Hulbert Ranking

In the United States, the name Hulbert is the 5,780^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Hulbert migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Hulbert name or one of its variants:

Hulbert Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Hulbert, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 6
Martha Hulbert, who settled in Virginia in 1660
William Hulbert, who landed in Maryland in 1663 6
John Hulbert, who landed in Maryland in 1667 6
Robert Hulbert, who landed in Maryland in 1676 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hulbert Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H. M. Hulbert settled in San Francisco, California in 1850
E. B. Hulbert, who settled in San Francisco in 1852
Anton Hulbert, who arrived in America in 1854 6
William G. Hulbert, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1880

Hulbert migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hulbert Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Phillip Hulbert, who arrived in Quebec in 1784

Hulbert migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hulbert Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Samuel Hulbert, Welsh convict from Monmouth, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Solomon Hulbert, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
John Hulbert, English convict from Wiltshire, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9

Hulbert migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hulbert Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

T Hulbert, who landed in Poverty Bay, New Zealand in 1839
Samuel Hulbert, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stracathro" in 1881
Margaret Hulbert, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stracathro" in 1881
Jabez Hulbert, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stracathro" in 1881
James Hulbert, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Stracathro" in 1881

Contemporary Notables of the name Hulbert (post 1700) +

Steve Hulbert Ph.D., American Physicist who heads the Beamline Development and Support Section of the National Synchrotron Light Source project at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Henry S Hulbert (1925-1959), American Judge and co-founder of what is now known as the McMath-Hulbert Solar Observatory in Michigan
Charles Hulbert (1778-1857), English miscellaneous writer, son of Thomas Hulbert of Hulbert Green, near Cheadle, Cheshire, born at Manchester on 18 Feb. 1778 10
Dame Cicely Hulbert, British Actress and wife of Jack Hulbert
Jack Hulbert (1892-1978), British film actor, dramatic author, manager and producer
Royston Hulbert Nash (1933-2016), English conductor, best known as a music director of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Hulbert H. Warner, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1884, 1892 11