The name Hasserd is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in
England after the
Norman Conquest of 1066. Hasserd was a Norman name used for a person who takes chances or a gambler which is derived from the Old French word hasard, which means a game of dice, played by a gambler or one who was prepared to run risks. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames,
nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. "The orthography was originally Hasssart, and the extinct dukes of Charante [Normandy] were of the same family."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. Early Origins of the Hasserd family
The surname Hasserd was first found in
Gloucestershire where "soon after the Conquest a branch settled."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Early History of the Hasserd family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hasserd research.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hasserd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Hasserd Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few
hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Hasserd are characterized by many
spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Hasserd include Hazard, Hasard, Hassard and others.
Early Notables of the Hasserd family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Hasserd Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Hasserd family to Ireland
Some of the Hasserd family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 141 words (10 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 Hasserd family to the New World and Oceana
Faced with the chaos present in
England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as
Australia and
Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from
England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Hasserd, or a variant listed above: John and Joane Hazard settled in Virginia in 1618; two years before the "Mayflower"; Sarah Hazard settled in Virginia in 1654; Richard Hazard settled in Virginia in 1732.