This unusual name is of Old Germanic origin, and is one of the variety of surnames that derive from the Old German male personal name "Degenhard", composed of the elements "degen", warrior, hero, and "hard", brave, hardy, strong. The modern surname from this source can be found as Deinhard(t), Degenhard(t), Deinert, Dennert and Donhardt, a Bavarian form; Low German variants include: Dehnhardt, Dehnert and Dahnhard(t). Pre 7th Century Anglo-Saxon, and Norse batismal names were usually distinctive componds whose elements were often associated with the Gods of Fire, Water, and War, or composed of disparate elements.The baptism of Rupert Degenhardt was recorded at Berghausen Meschede in Westphalia, Germany, in 1584, and Wilhelm Degenhardt married Anna Elisabeth Grube in Kamen, Westphalia, on November 11th 1770. The christening of Charles Henry Augustus, son of Charles and Louisa Degenhardt, was recorded at St. Mary's, Whitechapel, London, on May 12th 1867. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ursula Degenhart (christening), which was dated 1560, in Unterfranken, Bayern, Germany, during the reign of Ferdinand 1, known as "Holy Roman Emperor", 1558 - 1564. 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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