Theobald

Meaning: (People, Race, Bold, Brave, God, Derived from the Germanic elements Theud "People" and Bald "Bold". The Normans brought the name to England, where it joined an existing Old English cognate. The medieval forms Tibald and Tebald were commonly Latinized as Theobaldus. It was rare by the 20th century.

The Latinized form was recorded in the 11th century Domesday Book. The name was borne by Theobald of Bec (-1161), an archbishop of Canterbury; he was of Norman origin. Medieval forms of the name include Tebald, Tedbald, Tibert, and Tybalt. The form Tybalt or Tibert was known as the name of the cat in the French folklore Reynard the Fox, thus giving rise to the nicknames Tibs and Tibby being used for cats. The form Tybalt was later used by Shakespeare for the name of Juliet's cousin in Romeo and Juliet (1595).

Recorded in over one hundred forms ranging from Theobald, Tudball and Dyball in England, to Thibald, Thibaud and Thibout in France, Thibou in Belgian, Theobald, Thibaut, and Diebald in Germany, Tibold in Hungary, and many more, this interesting surname is of pre 7th century Germanic origins. It derives from the the elements "theudo", meaning people, and "bald"- bold or brave, and as such was a very popular name in the period of history known as 'The dark ages'. The personal name and the subsequent surname of the 12th century is believed to have been introduced into England by followers of William, The Conqueror, after the Norman Invasion of 1066, and it was in that country where the earliest examples of the surname recording are to be found. Examples of the recordings illustrating the hereditary surname development include: Hugo Tebaud, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Lincolnshire in the year 1202; William Theobald, in the court rolls known as the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1250, and Simon Tebalde in the register of Ramsey Abbey, in 1255. In Germany Stammfolge Theopolt was recorded in Hildburghausen in 1420, Thiebaud von Worms in 1435, and Christoph Theobald of Rudolstadt in 1529. Examples taken from early surviving English church registers include: the marriage of Francis Theobald and Judith Conquest on February 20th 1622, at St. Dunstan's in the East, Stepney, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere in the world is believed to be that of: Tomas Teobald. This was dated 1199, in the Pipe Rolls of the county of Gloucestershire, England. This was during the reign of the famous King Richard 1st of England, known as "Coeur de Leon", 1189 - 1199. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Theobald )

Origin: (English (Rare), Ancient Germanic, French)

Pronunciation: (THEE-ə-bawld (English), DHIY-owBaoLD)

Gender: Male

I was watching a movie the other day and I’m not sure if the character had this spelling but when they said his name I saw it in my head as this spelling so I added it to my list. The meanings are strong and the look of the name is old fashioned but is handsome and brave looking as well. I really like this name a little more each day.