Recorded in many forms including Habbs, Habbes, Haben, Habben, Habens, Habbema, Habbins, Happert, Hobbema, Hobben, Hobbing, Hobbart, Hubbard, and many others, this ancient surname can best be described as European. It derives from the Germanic personal names Habbert or Hubert, themselves compounds which translate as 'Famous heart'. These early personal names were introduced into England and also Scotland by the Saxon invaders of the 8th century, although the first surviving recording of Eudo filius Huberti is not until the famous Domesday Book of 1086. This was not a surname as such, few having been 'invented' at this early date, although they were first recorded during the next century. Amongst these was Roger Hubert in the Fines Court Rolls of Northumberland in 1199, whilst other examples include William Hobard of Suffolk in 1291, and John Hobart also of Suffolk in 1346. Later examples showing the dialectal changes, and taken from surviving church registers include: Joyce Haben who married Elias Clawson at St Gregory's by St Pauls, in the city of London, on July 25th 1619, and George Habbins and his wife Mary, who were christening witnesses at St Mary Whitechapel, Stepney, on February 9th 1689. Ralph Habbin was christened at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, on December 8th 1714, and Frances Habens married Charles Maidman at St Mary Magdalene, Bermondsey, on July 18th 1819. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Roger Hubard. This was dated 1327, in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset, during the reign of King Edward 111rd of Engand and known as 'The Father of the Navy', 1327 - 1377. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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