Abshire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Abshire is a "metonymic for a maker of habergeons, sleeveless coats or jackets of mail or scale armour, worn also as a rough garment for penance," derived from the Middle English or Old French word "haubergeon", a diminutive of hauberc. 1

Early Origins of the Abshire family

The surname Abshire was first found in Lancashire where Matthew Habercham held estates in the shire in 1269. Later, Edmund Habirgent was listed in Norfolk in 1416 and Edward Haberjon was found in Sheffield in 1565. "Habershon and Habbijam are both still found in Sheffield, the latter being a direct descendant of the 1565 Haberjon." 1

The Habershams of Beverley, Yorkshire were the progenitors of the famed James Habersham (1712-1775), the English-born American merchant, planter, missionary, teacher and politician in Savannah, Georgia.

Early History of the Abshire family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abshire research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1551, 1592, 1712, 1735, 1738, 1751, 1775, 1795, 1801 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Abshire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abshire Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Abshire include Habercham, Habersham, Haberjiam, Haberiam, Habberiam, Habberjam, Habbersham, Habbercham, Habberjiam, Habergham, Hebbergham, Habbershon, Habbijam, Habershon, Habbershon, Habberham, Haberham, Habbishaw, Habbeshaw and many more.

Early Notables of the Abshire family

Distinguished members of the family include Joseph Habersham (1751-1815) was an American businessman, Georgia politician, soldier in the Continental Army, and 6th Postmaster General of the United States (1795-1801,) eponym of Habersham, Georgia, son of James Habersham.James Habersham (1712-1775) was an English-born American merchant, planter, missionary, teacher and politician who lived the majority of his life in the Province of Georgia. He is credited with opening the first direct trade between Savannah, Georgia, and London...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Abshire Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Abshire Ranking

In the United States, the name Abshire is the 8,151^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Abshire migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled 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 ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Abshire or a variant listed above:

Abshire Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Lewis Abshire, who landed in Virginia in 1637 3

Abshire Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

David Abshire, aged 29, who settled in America, in 1910
Milton Abshire, aged 17, who landed in America, in 1923

Contemporary Notables of the name Abshire (post 1700) +

Jennifer Abshire (b. 1977), née Scarpetta, an American professional female bodybuilder
Brian Abshire (b. 1963), American Olympic long-distance runner at the 1988 Summer Olympics
David Manker Abshire (1926-2014), American Special Counselor to President Reagan, U.S. Ambassador to NATO (1983-1987)
Robert Abshire (b. 1962), American professional football player
Nathan Abshire (1913-1981), American Cajun accordion player

Citations +

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)