Eberhardt
A German surname from a personal name meaning “strong boar” or “brave as a wild boar.”
The #5,399 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,868 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Eberhardt comes from the old Germanic personal name Eberhard, built from eber meaning “boar” and hard meaning “strong,” “hardy,” or “brave.” The literal sense is something like “boar-strong” or “strong as a boar,” a common kind of heroic name in early Germanic naming. The surname developed from that given name rather than from a place or occupation.
History
The name spread widely in German-speaking areas as both a given name and, later, a hereditary surname. English-language surname writers in the 19th century routinely treated Eberhardt as the German form related to Everard and similar names. It remains most strongly associated with Germany and German-descended families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The first element, eber, is the same old Germanic word for “boar” that appears in several other traditional names.
From the historical record
“EVERARD. (Sax.) The same as Evdofrc; in Greek, that is, well reported, ever honored; or from Eberhardt, ever hard or enduring. Some writers are of opinion that we have JSbers, Everardj Evered, and Everet, from JEber, a boar. EVERETT and EVERTS. A corruption of Everard.”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names