Hardy is an English, French,[1][2] and Scottish surname.
It appears that the oldest usage is from the Old French hardi meaning "bold, courageous" which itself comes from Old Frankish hardjan meaning "to make hard".
Some of the oldest Hardy families in England seem to originate from a Norman Knight de Hardy in the mid 11th century.
English Hardy families can mainly be found around Dorset and Yorkshire.
The Celtic variant is a shortened form of Mac Hardie, an Anglicized form of the Mac C(h)ardaih or son of the craftsman, from the root ceardaiche.