The name Gabbard is from the ancient
Anglo-Saxon culture of the Britain and comes from the baptismal name
son of Gilbert. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the
Norman Conquest,
sunu and
sune, which meant
son, were the most common
patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word
filius, which meant
son. By the 14th century, the suffix
son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with
filius or
son were more common in the north of
England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.
Early Origins of the Gabbard family
The surname Gabbard was first found in
Norfolk where they held a
family seat from very ancient times.
Early History of the Gabbard family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gabbard research.
Another 287 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1239, 1273, 1307, 1533, and 1603 are included under the topic Early Gabbard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gabbard Spelling Variations
The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few
hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time,
spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Gabbard has been spelled many different ways, including Gibbard, Gibbert, Gibert, Gybbard, Gybbert and many more.
Early Notables of the Gabbard family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Gabbard Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gabbard family to the New World and Oceana
Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Gabbards to arrive in North America: Thomas and Henry Gibbard landed in Virginia in 1774; William Gibbard settled in New Haven, Conn. in 1640; Ann, Edward and Jane Gibberd landed in New York in 1830.
Contemporary Notables of the name Gabbard (post 1700)
- Gary Adrian, Rob, and Cathy Gabbard, American musicians, founders of The Gabbards, a Christian American Southern Gospel group
- John Gabbard, American NORAD employee who co developed a database of space satellites and a formulation predicting their orbital paths, now known as Gabbard diagrams which is still in use today
- Stephen Edward Gabbard (b. 1966), American former offensive tackle who played from 1989 to 1993
- Doug Gabbard II,, American jurist, a judge on the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
- Glen Owens Gabbard (b. 1949), American psychiatrist, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and Professor of Psychiatry at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York
- Gerald Michael "Mike" Gabbard (b. 1948), American politician, Member of the Hawaii Senate (2006), father of Tulsi Gabbard
- Kason Ronald Gabbard (b. 1982), American former professional Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 2006 to 2008
- Tulsi Gabbard (b. 1981), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii (2013-)