Hard Family History

English: from the Old English personal name Heard or a Norman cognate Hard(on), also of Germanic origin. This was a byname meaning ‘hardy’, ‘brave’, ‘strong’, but it also seems to have been used as a short form of the various compound names containing this as a first element. Occasionally this may also be a variant of Hardy. English, German, Dutch, and Swedish (Hård): nickname for a stern or severe man, from Middle English, Middle Low German hard, Middle Dutch hart, hert, Swedish hård ‘hard’, ‘inflexible’. The Swedish name was probably originally a soldier’s name. English: topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of particularly hard ground or one that was difficult to farm. Compare Hardacre. Dutch: occupational name from Middle Dutch harde, herde ‘herder’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press