Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Halbert
Category: 1 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is in its early stages.
Contact: Mr Cameron Day
The Halbert One-Name study commenced in 2017. I began this study out of a desire to trace my Halbert ancestors and discover the origins of the Halbert name. I started my research by looking for the origins of my 3 x great-grandfather Thomas Halbert. Until I began my research we had 100+ year old stories about our Halbert origins. These old stories were published in a book and have been used by successive generations to explain where our Halberts came from.
No one had researched the origins of our Halberts and as a result these old stories were subject to more modern reinterpretations. Not all details in the book were accurate. Fortunately some stories contained grains of truth and provided linkages to other family members. Recent advances in DNA testing have enabled us to definitely link our New Zealand Halberts to the many families in Australia who are all descendants of William Halbert and Alison Potts. In 2021 we were able to link some of the English Durham and Northumberland Halberts via autosomal DNA (www.ancestry.com). In 2022 we definitively linked the descendants of Joseph Halbert 1803-1838 to the New Zealand and Australian families via YDNA (direct male line) testing.
Our Halbert name begins with the marriage of William Halbert to Alison Potts in Kelso, Roxburghshire, Scotland on 21 August 1763.
The name Halbert is infrequently recorded as Hulbert, Holbert and Halberd through early censuses and parish records.
In Scotland the surname appears in the early 1600s in Canongate Parish in Edinburgh. George Black in his book 'The Surnames of Scotland' makes reference to the Halbert surname in Ayrshire in 1643 and the suggestion it might be of Norse origin.
The Halbert surname can be found in Bretagne, France in the 1640s.
In England the surname occurs in Surrey, Wiltshire and Kent in the 1630s.
In the United States the name appears in the 1700s with Scottish immigrants. In Germany the name appears in the mid 1650s.
The origins of the name are scarce. Some have suggested the name is derived from the Halberd weapon. Others have suggested it is of English and French (Huguenot) origins. Others have suggested it is Anglo Saxon in origin dating to the early 1200s
The increasing use of DNA testing as a tool to determine genetic relationships has proved invaluable in my own family history and those bearing the Halbert surname. DNA testing can show genetic relationships which predate the use of surnames. A growing number of Halberts have tested their direct paternal lines via a YDNA test at www.familytreedna.com
We need more males who have the Halbert surname to YDNA test (direct male line DNA test). The test involves using a swab on the inside of your mouth. There's no blood and no needles involved!
I am very interested in finding a direct male descendant of this Halbert family line to YDNA test.
The YDNA test can only be done by a male so if you are female and want to get involved I encourage you to find your male cousins with the Halbert surname to YDNA test.
Those of you who are interested in helping us can start with the YDNA-37 test but the Big Y-700 is the preferred test. You can upgrade your YDNA-37 test at a later stage to the Big Y-700.
The Big Y-700 is probably the most important test you can take. It is a Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) test that discovers new SNPs by scanning over 14.5 million locations on the Y chromosome. A tremendous benefit is you will discover SNPs for just your paternal lineage as well as identify ancient SNPs that you may share with many, many other people. Big Y has the ability to discover SNPs that are pertinent to the genealogical timeframe, the last couple of hundred years. The Big Y learning web site has more details. www.familytreedna.com/learn/y-dna-testing/big-y/.
YDNA testing should not be confused with autosomal testing through ancestry.com or the Family Finder DNA test at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) or the My Heritage DNA test.
I encourage those of you with the Halbert surname from Scotland, England, Ireland, the United States and other countries to YDNA test to see if there is a common ancestor.
Once you have tested join the Holbert group project (Yes spelt that way) which includes the Halbert surname. Note: you must be logged into your FTDNA account to join a project.
Holbert - Overview | FamilyTreeDNA
Not all Halberts are related in a genealogical timeframe.
There are 5 different Halbert subgroups who are unrelated to each other in a genealogical time frame. Matches in each subgroup probably share a common male ancestor with each other within the genealogical time frame or surname era but not other subgroups.
Many of these are the broad R-M269 haplogroup. By upgrading to the Big Y-700 this would be further refined. Only one Halbert subgroup is in the I-M253 haplogroup.
My Halbert haplogroup is R-FTC18617. There are 3 descendants of William Halbert and Alison Potts via their son William Halbert who have YDNA tested which belong to this haplogroup.
There are some names in the group who are not related in a genealogical time frame to anyone else test taker. They are not the R-M269 haplogroup and also do not share the Halbert surname.