Tibbetts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Tibbetts surname finds its earliest origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name is derived from the Old French personal name Theobald, which comes from the Germanic name Theudebald. It probably came to England in the wake of the Norman invasion of 1066, when King William actively encouraged immigration of skilled craftsmen and administrators from the continent. Theobald means "people bold" and was a common continental name. Patronymic surnames arose out of the vernacular and religious given name traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Vernacular names that were derived from ancient Germanic personal names have cognates in most European languages. For example, the court of Charlemagne (742-814) was Christian and Latin-speaking, but the Frankish dialect of Old German was commonly used for personal names. Vernacular names were widespread throughout Normandy. Accordingly, many typical English and French names are in fact, originally of Germanic origin and often have cognates in other European countries. This particular patronym is derived from a diminutive of the name Theobald; a common diminutive of Theobald was Tib, Tib-et is a double diminutive (a diminutive of a diminutive) of the name. 1

Early Origins of the Tibbetts family

The surname Tibbetts was first found in Worcestershire where John Tybote was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. Later Stephen Tybet was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Staffordshire in 1332. Much later in Suffolk, Jaraes Tibbett was listed in 1674. 2

Early History of the Tibbetts family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tibbetts research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tibbetts History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tibbetts Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Tibbetts are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Tibbetts include: Tibbits, Tibbets, Tibbit, Tibbet and others.

Early Notables of the Tibbetts family

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

Tibbetts Ranking

In the United States, the name Tibbetts is the 4,408^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Tibbetts migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Tibbetts or a variant listed above:

Tibbetts Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Walter Tibbetts, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1651 4
Jeremiah Tibbetts, who arrived in New England in 1656 4
Henry Tibbetts, who arrived in New England in 1665 4
Thomas Tibbetts, who landed in Maryland in 1675 4

Tibbetts Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J Tibbetts, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
A Tibbetts, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Enoch Tibbetts, aged 52, who immigrated to the United States from Cradley Heath, in 1892
Mary Tibbetts, aged 18, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
R.M. Tibbetts, aged 45, who settled in America, in 1893
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tibbetts Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Lewis Tibbetts, aged 45, who immigrated to America from London, in 1900
Hannah Tibbetts, aged 54, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
E. Rebe Tibbetts, aged 21, who landed in America from Ely, England, in 1904
Elizabeth Tibbetts, aged 44, who immigrated to the United States from Ely, England, in 1904
Henry Arthur Tibbetts, aged 20, who landed in America from Leicester, in 1905
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tibbetts migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tibbetts Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Solomon Tibbetts, who arrived in Canada in 1828

Contemporary Notables of the name Tibbetts (post 1700) +

Willard Lewis Tibbetts (1903-1992), American bronze medalist runner at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Steve Tibbetts (b. 1954), American guitarist and composer, known for his work with percussionist Marc Anderson
John C. Tibbetts (b. 1946), American film critic, historian, and pianist from Paola, Kansas, film professor at the University of Kansas
Mollie Tibbetts (1998-2018), American University of Iowa student who was murdered while jogging near her home in Brooklyn, Iowa
William Thomas "Billy" Tibbetts (b. 1974), American NHL ice hockey player who last played for the Cape Cod Bluefins of the Federal Hockey League
Margaret Joy Tibbetts (1919-2010), American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Norway from 1964 to 1969
George W. Tibbetts (b. 1845), American merchant and hops farmer who was a well-known critic of Chinese labor being used in place of white labor (c. 1885)
Kurt Tibbetts OBE (b. 1954), born Darwin Kurt Tibbetts, Caymanian politician and former Leader of Government Business in the Cayman Islands
Darwin Kurt Tibbetts OBE (b. 1954), Caymanian politician, Leader of Government Business (2005 to 2009), Leader of the Opposition (2009 to 2011)
Michael Tibbetts, Professor of Biology at Bard College

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)