Fabre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Italy
Spain

Early Origins of the Fabre family

The surname Fabre was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Bury St. Edmunds who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Fabre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fabre research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1095, 1510, 1538 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Fabre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fabre Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Faber, Fabri, Fabre, Favre and others.

Early Notables of the Fabre family

More information is included under the topic Early Fabre Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fabre Ranking

In the United States, the name Fabre is the 12,430^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Fabre is ranked the 99^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,332 people with that name. 3

Fabre migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Fabre or a variant listed above:

Fabre Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Fabre, who landed in Massachusetts in 1755 4

Fabre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jorge Fabre, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 4
Francisco Fabre, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1860 4

Fabre migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fabre Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Madeleine Fabre, aged 23, who arrived in Montreal in 1659

Contemporary Notables of the name Fabre (post 1700) +

John La Fabre, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for South Dakota, 1892 5
Georges Fabre (1844-1911), French forestry engineer
Étienne Fabre (1996-2016), French cyclist; he died at the age of 20 from a hiking accident
Jean Fabre de La Martillière, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 6
Joseph Vincent Dominique Fabre, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 7
Gabriel Jean Fabre, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Dominique Fabre (b. 1929), French novelist
Lucien Fabre (1889-1952), French writer and engineer
Clément Fabre (b. 1989), French professional football player
Joseph Fabre (1824-1892), second Superior General of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 4) Jean Fabre. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 4) Joseph Fabre. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 4) Gabriel Fabre. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html