Show ContentsTobar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

When the Anglo-Normans began to settle in Ireland, they brought the tradition of local surnames to an island which already had a Gaelic naming system of hereditary surnames established. Unlike the Irish, the Anglo-Normans had an affinity for local surnames. Local surnames, such as Tobar, were formed from the names of a place or a geographical landmark where the person lived, held land, or was born. The earliest Anglo-Norman surnames of this type came from Normandy, but as the Normans moved, they created names that referred to where they actually resided. Therefore, English places were used for names when the Normans lived in England, and then Irish places after these particular Anglo-Normans had been settled in Ireland for some time. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. However, this type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname, if the place name began with a vowel, or it was eliminated entirely. The Tobar family originally lived in the settlement of Aubyn in France. Thus, the surname Tobar belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The Tobar family was originally called St. Aubyn, which was eventually corrupted to Tobar. The Gaelic form of the surname is Tóibín.

Early Origins of the Tobar family

The surname Tobar was first found in Devon, where they held a family seat at the manor of Ashton known as "Place Barton," the heiress of this line married Sir John St. Aubyns. Sir John was the heir of the St. Aubyns of St. Aubyn du Thenney in Normandy, and was possessed of considerable estates at Pickwell, Georgeham, Berynarber, and Paracombe in north Devon. The name St. Aubyn gradually eroded to Torbyn and then Tobyn.

Early History of the Tobar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tobar research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1819 is included under the topic Early Tobar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tobar Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Tobar, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Tobin, Torbyn, Tobyn and others.

Early Notables of the Tobar family

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

Tobar Ranking

In the United States, the name Tobar is the 8,876th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Tobar migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Tobar:

Tobar Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Juan Fermin Tobar, who landed in Texas in 1835 [2]
  • Ma DeLosAngeles Tobar, who landed in Texas in 1835 [2]
  • Diego De Tobar, who arrived in Florida in 1838 [2]
  • Juan Tobar, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1858 [2]
  • Catalina De Tobar, who landed in New Spain in 1877 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Tobar (post 1700) +

  • Héctor Tobar (b. 1963), American author and journalist based in Los Angeles
  • Luis Alberto Luna Tobar (b. 1923), Ecuadorian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church


The Tobar 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: Noli me tangere
Motto Translation: Touch me not.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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