Hubble
An English surname probably from the old Germanic personal name Hygebeald, meaning roughly “bold mind.”
The #8,990 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 84,844 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hubble is usually explained as coming from an early Germanic personal name, especially Old English Hygebeald or a related Old German form Hugibald. The first element means “mind” or “thought,” and the second means “bold” or “brave,” so the full name carried the sense of “bold mind.” Over time, the personal name was shortened and reshaped in medieval records into forms like Hubald and Hubble.
History
The name appears in English surname collections as a variant within the Hubert/Hubbard/Hubble group, though older writers sometimes differed on the exact route of development. It seems to have survived as a relatively uncommon English surname, with later spellings influenced by local pronunciation and record-keeping habits. Some historical references also treat it as a foreign or uncertain form, so the derivation is not absolutely settled.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname scholars often grouped Hubble with a family of names built on the Germanic element -bald, a popular ending in medieval personal names.
From the historical record
“Ricardus de Helistones, 1370 : ibid. 1583. Married— Morraine Hubble and Toniison (Thomaune) Halestone : St. Antholin (London), p. 30. London, i ; MDB. (ca Cambridge), i ; (co. Essex), I.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)Notable people named Hubble
- Edwin Hubble (1889–1953)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.