Everett
A surname that began as a form of Everard, ultimately from an old word for “boar.”
The #876 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,798 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Everett is generally treated as a shortened or altered form of Everard. The older name comes from Germanic elements meaning “boar” and “hardy/strong,” so the underlying sense is roughly “strong as a boar.” In English use, Everett developed through spoken change from Everard, with forms like Evered and Everitt appearing along the way.
History
Medieval and early modern records show many spellings and related forms of the name, including Everard, Evered, Everitt, and Everett. The surname spread in England and later became common in the United States, where Everett is now the standard form. Some 19th-century writers treated it as a direct corruption of Everard, which is broadly consistent with later onomastic scholarship.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A number of old English surnames in the Ever-/Eber- family were linked by early scholars to the image of the boar, a powerful animal in Germanic naming traditions.
From the historical record
“Ebrardus : in H.R. Eborard. EVERETT. An evident corruption of Everard. EVERINGHAM. A parish in York- shire. EVERMUE. H.R. A small town in the arrondissement of Dieppe, liodie Enver- meu. EVERSFIELD. An old local surname in Sussex — locality unknown.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Everett
- Rupert Everett (b. 1959)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.