Contents [hide]

Gibb History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Gibb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The saga of the Gibb family name begins among the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Gibb name is derived from Gibb, which is a pet form of the personal name Gilbert. 1 2 3

This name is derived from the Old English forenames Gislberht and Gislbeorht, which mean bright hostage. 4

Early Origins of the Gibb family

The surname Gibb was first found in Inverness-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Nis) divided between the present day Scottish Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles.

Entries for the family are quite late by typical standards. Records in the 16th century include: "Dauid Gyb was member of assize at Cupar in 1521, Elizabeth Gib is recorded in Craigmakerane in 1585, and Robert Gib was burgess of Linlithgow in 1622." 2

Early History of the Gibb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gibb research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1585, 1603, 1604, 1611, 1622, 1651, 1654, 1656, 1677, 1681, 1682, 1689, 1724, 1754 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gibb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gibb Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Gibb has appeared Gibb, Gibbe, Gibbs, Gibbes and others.

Early Notables of the Gibb family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

William Gibbes (died 1689), an English merchant and politician, Member of Parliament for Suffolk (1654-1656), High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1677
Frederick Gibb (d. 1681), was a miscellaneous writer, son of Bernard Gibb, advocate and was born at Dunfermline, studied medicine, and took, 9 Sept. 1651, the degree of doctor at the university of Val...
Charles Gibbes (1604-1681), was an English divine, sixth son of Sir Ralph Gibbes, who was knighted at Whitehall in 1603, was born at Honington, Warwickshire, in 1604
James Alban Gibbes or Ghibbes (1611-1677), was a Latin poet, "was born at Valognes, for in his will, still preserved at Rome, he speaks of himself as 'nativo di Vallone, appresso Cadomo, diocesi di Co...

Gibb Ranking

In the United States, the name Gibb is the 9,696^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in New Zealand, the name Gibb is ranked the 613^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,169 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Gibb family to Ireland

Some of the Gibb family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gibb migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Gibb:

Gibb Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andrew Gibb, who joined the "Gardiners," who bought Long Island from the native North Americans in 1655
James Gibb, who settled in Maryland in 1674
John Gibb, who arrived in East New Jersey in 1685

Gibb Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander Gibb, who settled in Maryland in 1730

Gibb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Gibb, who landed in America in 1801 7
John Gibb, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 7
David Gibb, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1841 7
Andrew Gibb, who landed in Mississippi in 1844 7

Gibb migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gibb Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Gibb, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Gibb Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Hugh Gibb, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Bartley" in 1833
Mrs. Mary Gibb, aged 32 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Virgilia" departing 22nd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th September 1847 but she died on board 8

Gibb migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gibb Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Gibb, Scottish convict from Edinburgh, who was transported aboard the "Agamemnon" on April 22, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Andrew Gibb, (b. 1800), aged 31, Scottish farmer who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1842 10
Mr. Robert Gibb, (b. 1803), aged 32, English solider from Northumberland who was convicted in Colombo, Sri Lanka for 14 years for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Clorinda" on 23rd February 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. William Gibb, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
William Gibb, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lysander" in 1840 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gibb migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gibb Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Peter Gibb, Scottish settler from Dunfermline travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Strathfieldsaye" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 29th April 1858 14
Mr. Stewart Gibb, (b. 1836), aged 24, British shepherd travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 15
Mr. Charles Gibb, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 14
Mrs. Gibb, Scottish settler with 4 children travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 14
James Gibb, aged 25, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Accrington" in 1863 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gibb (post 1700) +

Russ "Uncle" Gibb (1931-2019), American concert promoter, and media personality from Dearborn, Michigan, best known for his role in the Paul is Dead phenomenon
Robert D. Gibb, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
Matthew Gibb, American politician, Supervisor of Orion Township, Michigan, 2009 16
Laurence V. Gibb (1899-1967), American Republican politician, Justice of the peace; Investigator 16
David N. Gibb (1806-1886), American politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives, 1866, 1868-69 16
Robert Gibb (d. 1837), Scottish landscape-painter, a native of Dundee, an associate of the Royal Institution, Edinburgh
Sir Alexander Gibb (1872-1958), Scottish civil engineer, fifth generation in a line of civil engineers begun by his great-great-grandfather William (1736-91)
Sir Andrew Dewar Gibb (1888-1974), Scottish jurist probably best known for his position as chairman of the Scottish National Party (1936-40)
Sir Frank Gibb (1928-2013), British construction executive, CEO and Chairman of Taylor Woodrow
Andrew Roy Gibb (1958-1988), English born, Australian singer, one of the "the BeeGees"
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gibb family +

HMS Cornwall

Charles Alexander Gibb, British Captain Paymaster aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 17

HMS Hood

Mr. Stanley D Gibb (b. 1919), Scottish Wireman serving for the Royal Navy from Dundee, Angus, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 18

The Gibb Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tenax propositi
Motto Translation: Firm of purpose.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 77)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Agamemnon voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1820 with 179 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agamemnon/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clorinda
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LYSANDER 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Lysander.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm