Whybrew is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from Wigburh, a feminine name meaning "war-fortress." It was recorded once in 901 (as a personal name) and did not appear again until the 12th century. The record of the name from the 12th century is from Suffolk, where Wyburgh was recorded in church records in Bury, sometime between the years 1182 and 1211. This makes this name a metronymic vernacular name. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of metronymic 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.
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Early Origins of the Whybrew family
The surname Whybrew was first found in Devon where they held a family seat from ancient times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066.
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Early History of the Whybrew family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Whybrew research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1461 is included under the topic Early Whybrew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Whybrew Spelling Variations
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Whybrew has been recorded under many different variations, including Wybrew, Wibbery, Wybbery, Whybrew, Whybrow, Wyebrough, Wybrow and many more.
Early Notables of the Whybrew family
More information is included under the topic Early Whybrew Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Whybrew family
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Whybrew or a variant listed above: John WyBerry settled in Barbados in 1635.
England
