This unusual name derives from a short form of the personal name "Herbert", which itself is a form of "Herbert", introduced into England by the Normans after the Conquest of 1066 and recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Herbertus" and "Herberd". The French name derives from an Old Germanic personal name "Hariberct" or "Herebert", composed of the elements "Heri" or "Hari", meaning army with "berht", bright or famous. "Hebb(e)" is thus the diminutive form of "Hebert", with "Hebbes", "Hebbs" and "Hebson" being the patronymic forms, meaning "son of Hebb". One Henry Hebbes was married to Jone South on the 28th June 1640 at St. Andrew's Church Enfield in Middlesex. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Herberdus Hebbe, which was dated 1273, in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as the Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. 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.

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