Contents [hide]

Osbourne History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Osbourne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Osbourne surname itself is thought to be derived from an Old Norse personal name "Asbjorn" made up of "às," meaning "god" and "bjorn," or "bear." The name became Osbern in old English. Bearers of this name also came to Britain from Normandy, and over the centuries have become indistinguishable from those who predated the Norman invasion. "The name is found in England before the Conquest and may be of direct Scandinavian origin. It was also common in Normandy whence it was often brought over by Normans after the Conquest." 1

Osbern (fl. 1090), was an English "hagiographer, was a monk of Christchurch, Canterbury, where, as he tells us himself, he was brought up from boyhood during the rule of Godric, who was dean from about 1058 to 1080; he would seem to have been there before the burning of the cathedral in 1067." 2

Osbern or Osbert (d. 1103), was "Bishop of Exeter and Chancellor, the son of Osbern the Seneschal, who was guardian of Normandy for the future Conqueror. He was thus brother of William Fitzosbern, the Earl of Hereford, and a kinsman of Edward the Confessor. He came to England during the reign of Edward, and was one of the king's chaplains, and held land at Stratton, Cornwall, at the time of Edward's death (Domesday, iv. 216). As a royal chaplain he was present at the dedication of Westminster Abbey on 28 Dec. 1065, and after the conquest witnessed a charter to St. Martin's, London, in 1068, as 'Osbernus Capellanus' " 2

Early Origins of the Osbourne family

The surname Osbourne was first found in Kent where "this family descends from a Kentish branch of the family of Fitz-Osberne, seated in that county early in the reign of Henry VI., when Thomas Osberne appeared to a writ of Quo warranto for the Abbey of Dartford." 3 His grandfather was Richard Fitz-Osberne, or Fitz-Osbert who held a fief from Earl Bigot in 1165. Richard's father was Stephen Fitz-Osbert fl. 1152 was son of William Fitz-Osbert, son of Osberne Fitz-Letard who held lands from Odo of Bayeaux in 1086. 3

Many bearers of the name were descended from Sarum in Normandy. Confirming this ancient origin another source states the "name occurred in England before the Norman Conquest. It is confined south of a line joining the Humber and the Mersey, and its principal area of distribution takes the form of a belt crossing central England from East Anglia to the borders of Wales. 4

"Several persons bearing it occur in Domesday [Book], as tenants in chief in different counties;" 5 specifically the Osbern variant. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Gerard filius Oseberne in Huntingdonshire; and Robert Oseberne in Oxfordshire. 6 Osbernus filius Willelmi was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for the year 1221 in Buckinghamshire and Henry Osbern, in the Assize Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260. John Osebarn was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 and Walter Hosebarn was found in the Feet of Fines of Cambridgeshire in 1327. 1

Early History of the Osbourne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Osbourne research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1280, 1379, 1467, 1559, 1593, 1627, 1632, 1639, 1643, 1649, 1659, 1667, 1671, 1685, 1692, 1694, 1695, 1712, 1720, 1771 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Osbourne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Osbourne Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Osborne, Osborn, Osbourne, Osbourn, Osburn, Osburne, Osbern and many more.

Early Notables of the Osbourne family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sarah Osborne (Osbourne, Osburne, or Osborn) (c. 1643-1692) (nee Warren), one of the first three women to be accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials of 1692, she died in jail never indicted or...

Osbourne Ranking

In the United States, the name Osbourne is the 11,805^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Osbourne family to Ireland

Some of the Osbourne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Osbourne migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Osbourne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Osbourne and her husband settled in Virginia in 1634
James Osbourne, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 8
Charles Osbourne, who landed in Maryland in 1677 8
Jeremiah Osbourne, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1682 8
John Osbourne, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Osbourne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Frances Osbourne, who landed in Virginia in 1702 8

Osbourne migration to Australia +

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

Osbourne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Osbourne, (b. 1810), aged 29, Cornish cook departing from Plymouth aboard the ship "Westminster" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 13th December 1839 9
Mr. William Osbourne, (b. 1806), aged 44, Cornish blacksmith departing from Plymouth on 9th December 1849 aboard the ship "Reliance" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 19th March 1850 9
Mrs. Mary Ann Osbourne, (b. 1807), aged 43, Cornish housekeeper departing from Plymouth on 9th December 1849 aboard the ship "Reliance" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 19th March 1850 9
Mr. Thomas C. Osbourne, (b. 1833), aged 17, Cornish blacksmith's boy departing from Plymouth on 9th December 1849 aboard the ship "Reliance" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 19th March 1850 9
Miss Isabella Osbourne, (b. 1830), aged 20, Cornish dressmaker departing from Plymouth on 9th December 1849 aboard the ship "Reliance" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 19th March 1850 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Osbourne 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:

Osbourne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Osbourne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 12th April 1874 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Osbourne (post 1700) +

Samuel Lloyd Osbourne (1868-1947), American novelist, stepson of Robert Louis Stevenson
Joey Osbourne, American drummer
Glen Osbourne (b. 1971), American professional wrestler, known professionally as "The Beast"
Samuel M. Osbourne, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Columbus, Indiana, 1829-30 11
Lloyd Osbourne, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul General in Apia, 1897 11
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (b. 1948), English Grammy Award winning singer, inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2006)
Jack Joseph Osbourne (b. 1985), English media personality, son of Ozzy Osbourne
Isaiah George Osbourne (b. 1987), English football defensive midfielder
Miss Helen Osbourne M.B.E., British Principal and Chief Executive Officer for Learner Services Manager for Friend’s Centre in Brighton, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Adult Education 12
Mrs. Jennifer Osbourne M.B.E., British Chief Executive Officer for Tpas, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to tenant Engagement 13
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Osbourne family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. W Osbourne, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 14

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Ella Osbourne, Scottish 1st Class Passenger from Glasgow, Scotland, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 15

RMS Titanic

Mr. William Edward Osbourne (d. 1912), aged 32, English Saloon Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16

The Osbourne 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: Pax in bello
Motto Translation: Peace in war.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
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 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 4 July 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html