Show ContentsStanberry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Cornwall in southwestern England provides the original birthplace of the surname Stanberry. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Stanberry history began at the manor of Stanbury in Morwinstowe, Cornwall. The name could have from an Old English woman's name for Stanburh 'stone-fortress' 1 or literally meant "the fort or defence of stone." 2

Early Origins of the Stanberry family

The surname StanBerry was first found in Essex where the first record of the family was found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Stamburc was listed. 3

Later in Cornwall, they held a family seat from very ancient times, as Lords of the manor of Stanbury in Morwinstowe. "The manor of Stanbury (which formerly belonged to an ancient family of this name,) was the birth place of Richard Stanbury, who was Bishop of Hereford, and died so early as 1471. In the fifteenth century, it was carried in marriage by an heiress of this family to the Mannings." 4

Stanbury is common in Devon where it is probably from Stanborough. 5 The Lancashire Stanbury is from Stanbury, in the West Riding of Yorkshire." 1

"Both may have contributed, but looking at the directories it is clear that Devonshire holds the first place as parent." 6

A very rare name in early rolls; we did however find Alan Stanborw in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cheshire in 1279 1 and later, Thomas de Staynburghe in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 6

Early History of the Stanberry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stanberry research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1446, 1448, 1453, 1474, 1670, 1704, 1705, 1706, 1707, 1712, 1714, 1720, 1772 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Stanberry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stanberry Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and 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 of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Stanbury, Stanberie, Standborough, Stanborough, Stanbrough, Stanberry, Stanburry, Stansbury, Stainsbury and many more.

Early Notables of the Stanberry family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • John Stanberry (or Stanbury) (died 1474), English medieval Bishop of Bangor (1448-1453) and Bishop of Hereford (1453-1474.) He was second son of Walter Stanbury of Morwenstow, Cornwall, by his wife Ci...

Stanberry Ranking

In the United States, the name Stanberry is the 17,539th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7


United States StanBerry migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Stanberry:

Stanberry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Daniel Stanberry, who landed in Maryland in 1675-1680 8

Contemporary Notables of the name StanBerry (post 1700) +

  • R. M. Stanberry, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1908 9
  • Lanton Stanberry, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1916 9
  • Henry Stanberry (1803-1881), American politician, Delegate to Ohio State Constitutional Convention from Franklin County, 1850-51; U.S. Attorney General, 1866-68 9


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. 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)
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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