Alban History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Alban

What does the name Alban mean?

Alban is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Alban family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Alban family lived in Normandy where it was derived from the ancient English given name Albin, meaning white.

Early Origins of the Alban family

The surname Alban was first found in St. Taurin, Evreux, Normandy, in the year 980, as St. Aubyn. This distinguished name arrived with the Conqueror through Sir John Aubyn, and settled in Barnstaple in Devon, where he became a patron of Barnstable Abbey. The family were granted many estates and they were recorded under the name Alban in the Domesday Book.

Early History of the Alban family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alban research. The years 1560, 1597, 1624, 1629, 1636, 1658, 1688, 1690, 1696 and 1742 are included under the topic Early Alban History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alban Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval 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. The name has been spelled Albone, Allibone, Hallibone, Albin, Allbahn, Alibone, Allbones, Allbone, Alban, Aubyn, Aubyn, Aubin, Auban, Ellibone, Elbin, Ellban, Ellbone and many more.

Early Notables of the Alban family

John Allibond (1597-1658), Master of Magdalen College School; Peter Allibond (1560-1629), an English translator of theological treatises from the French and Latin; Henry Albin (1624-1696), an English minister from Batcombe, Somerset who was ejected for nonconformity; Sir Richard Allibond or Allibone...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Alban Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alban Ranking

the United States, the name Alban is the 15,941^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Alban migration to Canada +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Alban or a variant listed above:

Alban Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Coneraud Alban, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Contemporary Notables of the name Alban (post 1700) +

Richard Herbert "Dick" Alban (1929-2016), American football defensive back who played from 1952 to 1959
S. H. Alban, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 1868 2
James S. Alban, American politician, Member of Wisconsin State Senate 2nd District, 1852-53 3
Norbert Alban Eder (1955-2019), retired German footballer
Alban D'Amours (1940-2025), Canadian businessman, president of the Desjardins Group (2000-2008)
Alban Lafont (b. 1999), Burkinabé-born French footballer
Alban Bensa (1948-2021), French anthropologist, director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences and specialized in the study of New Caledonia and Kanak people
Air Commodore Alban Spencer Ellerton OBE CBE (1894-1978), British Air Force officer, Wing Commander, Air ADC to The King in 1946
Alban Butler (1711-1773), English hagiographer who was descended from the ancient family of the Butlers of Aston-le-Walls, in Northamptonshire 3

Historic Events for the Alban family +

RMS Quetta

Mr. George Alban, Australian passenger who was aboard the ship "RMS Quetta" when she struck rocks and sunk on route to England on18th February 1890, presumed lost at sea

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019