indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from occupation, from location & from nickname)
Usage Dutch
Meaning & History
Can mean "the hart", "the heart", or "the hard", derived from Middle Dutch hart "male deer, stag" (see Hart), harte "heart" (see Hertz), or hart "hard, solid, sturdy; harsh, cruel". Could be a nickname, or perhaps a topographic name for someone who lived near a sign depicting a deer or heart. Alternatively, an occupational name for a shepherd, from herde "herd; herder".