The ancient name of Harberd finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a person who ran a lodging house. This surname is a metonymic form of the surname Harberer, and is derived from the Old English word herebeorg, which means shelter or lodging.
The surname Harberd was first found in the English county of Suffolk in the south east where they had been settled from very ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Harberd research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1596, 1679, 1635, 1692, 1689, 1690, 1572 and 1575 are included under the topic Early Harberd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Harberd family name include Arbour, Arbor, Harbord, Harbard, Hardboard, Harboard, Harber, Harbot and many more.
Distinguished members of the family include William Harbord (1635-1692), of Grafton Park, an English diplomat and politician, Privy Counsellor and Paymaster of the Forces in Ireland in 1689, Vice-Treasurer of Ireland in 1690. He was the first English ambassador to Turkey...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Harberd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.