Recorded in several spellings including Wilbert, Wilbud, Wilbrecht, Wilprecht, Wieprecht, and others, this is a surname of German and Anglo-Saxon origins. It is a derivation from the pre 7th century personal name "Wilbert", composed of the elements "wil", meaning will or desire, and "berht", bright and famous. The form as "Wilbeorht" appears in England before the famous Conquest of 1066 by Duke William of Normandy, and was greatly reinforced in the early Middle Ages by the further introduction of the name as Wilbert by the Norman invaders. The surname is well recorded in Germany from the 14th century, with examples such as Konrad Wippert of Bodigheim, Baden, in the year 1332, and Johannes Wiperti of Burg, Saxony, in 1454. In England Agnes Willabed, the daughter of Robert Willabed, was christened at Moulton in Northamptonshire, on March 2nd 1585, whilst on May 20th 1810, Thomas, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Wilbud, was christened at St. Sepulchre church, in the city of London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Henry Wylbert. This was dated 1279, in the "Hundred Rolls" of the county of Huntingdonshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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