Alben History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Alben is one of the names derived from the families of the ancient Dalriadan clans of Scotland. It is derived from the son of the blond one, or son of Alpin.

Early Origins of the Alben family

The surname Alben was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they were descended from King Kenneth MacAlpin who was murdered by the Picts near Dundee in the year 834. MacAlpin is generally considered to have been the first king to rule both Scots and Picts, and as such, was the first king of Scotland.

Further to the south, the variant Alby hailed from Alby, a parish, in the union of Aylsham, hundred of South Erpingham, E. division of Norfolk. "This place, which was anciently called Oslby, is intersected by the road from Aylsham to Cromer, and includes the hamlets of Alby Common and Alby Hill." 1

Early History of the Alben family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alben research. Another 193 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1395, 1405, 1531, 1557, 1658, 1692 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Alben History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alben Spelling Variations

Spelling in the medieval era was a highly imprecise process. Translation, particularly from Gaelic to English, was little better. For these reasons, early Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. In various documents Alben has been spelled MacAlpine, MacAlpin, MacAilpein (Gaelic) and others.

Early Notables of the Alben family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Sir John MacAlpin; John MacAlpine (Latin: Maccabeus) (died 1557), a Scottish Protestant theologian; and Joseph Capen (1658-1725), a Massachusetts clergyman who during...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Alben Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Alben family to Ireland

Some of the Alben family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alben migration to the United States +

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Alben arrived in North America very early:

Alben Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Alben Jr., who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Alben (post 1700) +

Alben W Barkley (1877-1956), American Democratic politician, 35th Vice-President of the United States (1949-1953)
Alben W. II Barkley, American Democratic Party politician, Kentucky commissioner of agriculture; Elected 1979 3

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html