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Individual surnames originated for the purpose of more specific identification.
The four primary sources for second names were:
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Occupation
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Location
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Father's name
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Personal characteristics
The surname Hibbard appears to be both patronymical and characteristic in origin, and
is believed to be associated with the English, meaning "descendant of Herbert (army,
bright)". Different spellings of the same original surname are a common
occurrence. Dictionaries of surnames indicate probable spelling variations of
Hibbard to be "Hibbert", "Hibberts", "Hibberd",
"Hibberds", "Hibert", "Herbert", "Herberts" and
"Hibbards".
Although bearers of the old and distinguished Hibbard name comprise a small fraction of
the population, there are a number who have established for it a significant place in
history. They include:
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Henry Hibbard (Hibbert, 1600-1678) - English Divine who graduated from
Brasenose College at Oxford in 1622. He served as Vicar of Holy Trinity at Hull
between 1651 and 1660 and was Prebendary of St. Paul's Church in 1669.
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George Hibbard (Hibbert, 1757-1837) - West Indian merchant and
collector who was an Alderman of London between 1798 and 1803. He served as a Member
of Parliament from the Seaford District in 1806 and was actively engaged in the
establishment of the West India Docks.
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Robert Hibbard (Hibbert, 1770-1849) - Philanthropist and mechant who
was educated at Emmanuel College in Cambridge and made his fortune as a merchant for the
exports of Jamaica between 1791 and 1836. He established a Trust which was described
to elevate those wishing to enter the Unitarian Ministry.
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Samuel Hibbard (Hibbert, 1782-1848) - Antiquary and geologist who
received his M.D. from Edinburgh and served as Secretary of the Scottish Society of
Antiquaries between 1823 and 1827. He was awarded the Society of Art's "Gold
Medal" for his discovery of chromate iron in 1820 and published a work entitled
"Descriptions of the Shetland Islands".
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