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Surname Etymology and Meaning of HERBERT

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Name meanings and etymologies are often disputed. The information here is compiled from freely available sources, and no claims whatsoever are made for accuracy, either historical or etymological.

(origin: Sax.) From Here, a soldier, and beorht, bright--an expert soldier, or the glory of an army; famous in war.

Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import (1857).

1. German, Dutch, English, and French: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements heri, hari ‘army’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’. In Britain, this Old French name, introduced by the Normans, reinforced the less common Old English cognate Herebeorht. The surname was taken to Ireland after the Anglo-Norman invasion and in the 16th century.
2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the German personal name.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names (2003)