Show ContentsCubit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the name Cubit begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the personal name Jacob. The surname Cubit is derived from Cob, which is a pet form of the name Jacob, and is supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -et. Some experts state that the surname Cubit is a nickname derived from the Old English word cubit, which means elbow. One expert is dumbfounded: "I cannot explain the somewhat common and well-known surname, unless it be a diminutive or corruption of a personal name. " 1

Early Origins of the Cubit family

The surname Cubit was first found in Norfolk, where Geoffrey Cobet and Roger Cobet were both listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 2

Early History of the Cubit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cubit research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1400 and 1566 are included under the topic Early Cubit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cubit 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. Cubit has been recorded under many different variations, including Cubitt, Cowbitt, Cobbett, Cubyt, Cubbert, Cubit and many more.

Early Notables of the Cubit family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Benedict Cubitt who was listed as bailiff of Yarmouth in the Feet of Fines in 15662...


United States Cubit migration to the United States +

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 Cubit or a variant listed above:

Cubit Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Matthew Cubit, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
Cubit Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Cubit, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866

Australia Cubit migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cubit Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Cubit, (Cubitt, Cupitt, Cupid), (b. 1787), aged 32, Irish weaver who was convicted in Antrim, Northern Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 3rd October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1857 4


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/castle-forbes


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