This ancient surname derives from the Anglo-Saxon personal name Hugibert or Hubert, itself a compound of the elements "hug" meaning "heart", and "beorht" - bright or famous, a translation which no doubt contributed to its early popularity. The name was probably introduced in Britain by the Saxon invaders of the 8th century, although its first known recording would seem to be that of 'Eudo filius Huberti' (Eudo, son of Hubert) in the Domesday Book of 1086. This was not of course a surname, the first of these being Roger Hubert, who appears in the 1199 Fine Court Rolls of Northumberland. This in fact is quite appropriate as the patron saint of hunting, with Northumberland being a renowned hunting country, is St. Hubert of Liege, in Belgium. The surname has at least five spelling styles viz.- Hubert, Hubbart, Hubbert, Hubbard and Hobart, and all have ancient lineage. Interesting examples of the recordings include Pastor John Hubbard who embarked from London on 17th April 1635, bound for Virginia. He was one of the early settlers in the New England colonies, and one of the first students at the fledgling Harvard University, of which in 1688 he became President. Another famous namebearer was John Gellibrand Hubbard (1805 - 1889), Director of the Bank of England and created the first Baron Addington by Queen Victoria in 1887. The Hubbard Coat of Arms was granted in the County of Rutland in 1618 by King James 1st (1603 - 1625) It has the blazon of a silver field charged with nine gold annulets on a black bend. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Hubard, which was dated 1327, in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset, during the reign of King Edward 111, known as the Father of the Navy, 1327 - 1377. 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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