This interesting and unusual name is of Old Germanic origin, and derives from a personal name, Theudoberht, composed of the Old Germanic elements "theudo", people, race, with "berht", bright, famous. The more familiar given name Theobald is of a similar origin, meaning "people-brave", and both given names have generated a great number of variant surnames throughout Europe. In Germany the development of the surnames from Theudober(h)t has included Hinrich Tippert (1676), Margarethe Dieber (1695), Anton Diebler (1708), and Hinrich Dibber (1717). Among the recordings of the surname in German church registers are those of the marriages of Marx Dibbert and Greta Stender in Hansuhn, Schleswig - Holstein, on October 30th 1716, and of Christoffer Dibbert and Lucie Kuehls, also in Hansuhn, on October 29th 1791. One Johann Michael Diebert, son of Eberhardt and Elisabetha, was christened on October 27th 1759 at Munsterappel, Pfalz, in Bayern. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Kunigunda Dieber (christening), which was dated January 17th 1597, Kirchensittenbach, Mittelfranken, Germany, during the reign of Rudolf 11, Holy Roman Emperor, 1576 - 1612. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.