Nobles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland
Ireland

From the historical and enchanting region of Scotland emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Nobles family. Originally, the Scottish people were known only by a single name. Often they adopted names that were derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name.

Nobles is a nickname type of surname for a person of exceptionally graceful character having derived from the Old French word noble, which was of essentially the same meaning as the modern English term. "This complimentary sobriquet was not allowed to die out by the fortunate possessors, and they have bred a large progeny." 1

Looking back further, the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae listed Walter and Gillebert le Noble, Normandy 1180 - 1195. 2

Early Origins of the Nobles family

The surname Nobles was first found in East Lothian where "an English family of this name settled as subvassals of the family of de Vallibus (Vaux) at the end of the twelfth century. William Nobilis held part of the lands of Garmilton under William de Vallibus. He was succeeded by his son Radulph who confirmed his father's grants. Radulphus Nobilis witnessed a grant by Vinianus de Mulineys to the Hospital of Soltre, 1198-1234, and between 1214-30 he witnessed an agreement between the monks of Neubotle and Adam Malherb, lord of Morham. " 3

Further to the south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Amice le Noble, Huntingdonshire; Hugh le Noble, Bedfordshire; and Thomas le Noble, Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Robertus Nobill. 1

Early History of the Nobles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nobles research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1337, 1464, 1467, 1489, 1490, 1495, 1497, 1504 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nobles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nobles Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Noble, Nobel, Nobille, Norbell, MacNoble, Nobill, Nobil, Nobelle, Noeble, Nobile, Nobels, Nobells, McNoble and many more.

Early Notables of the Nobles family

Notable among the family at this time was

Vilyam Nobile, chamberlain and procurator of the abbot of Arnbroath at Inverness in 1464, and the Nobles of that town may be descended from him. In 1467 the Nobles of Ferm had a charter of the lands o...

Nobles Ranking

In the United States, the name Nobles is the 2,436^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Nobles family to Ireland

Some of the Nobles family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Nobles family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Anne Noble age 21 settled in Providence in 1635; George Noble settled in St. Christopher in 1635; Mark Noble settled in Barbados in 1680 with his wife, children, and servants.

Contemporary Notables of the name Nobles (post 1700) +

Melissa Nobles (b. 1963), American political scientist and academic administrator, 7th Chancellor and Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Ryan Austin Nobles (b. 1976), American journalist, Congressional correspondent for CNN, and also a fill-in anchor for CNN shows, until 2022, when he joined NBC News
Clifford James Nobles (1941-2008), American soul singer, who is best known for his instrumental hit, "The Horse"
William H. Nobles (1816-1876), American politician, Member of Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives 2nd District, 1856 5
Walter E. Nobles Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1980 5
John T. Nobles, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1908, 1916 5
John H. Nobles, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Green Lake County, 1902 5

The Nobles 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: Fide et fortitudine
Motto Translation: By fidelity and fortitude.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html