Barnabas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Barnabas comes from when the family resided in Barnby Hall, in the North Riding of Yorkshire. The name of that place is derived from the Old English personal name Beornwald, which comes from the words beorn, meaning young warrior, and wald, meaning rule. 1 Today, Barnby is also a village and civil parish in the Waveney district of Suffolk.

Early Origins of the Barnabas family

The surname Barnabas was first found in Yorkshire, where the earliest record is at Barnby Hall, in the parish of Calthorne, in the east riding of Yorkshire. 2 "The township anciently belonged to a family of the same name; mention occurring of Robert de Barneby, who held the lands under Peter de Mauley, lord of Mulgrave." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: Richard de Barneby in Yorkshire; and Henry de Barneby in Lincolnshire. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Thomas de Barmby; and Thomas de Barnby. 4

Barnby in the North Riding of Yorkshire was an ancient family seat. "The township anciently belonged to a family of the same name; mention occurring of Robert de Barneby, who held the lands under Peter de Mauley, lord of Mulgrave." 3

Early History of the Barnabas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Barnabas research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1550, 1838 and 1875 are included under the topic Early Barnabas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Barnabas Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Barnabas include Barneby, Barnby, Barnaby, Bernaby, Burnaby and many more.

Early Notables of the Barnabas family

Notables of the family at this time include Joseph Barnby, born at York Aug. 12, 1838, a chorister in York Minster, and student at the Royal Academy of Music: was for nine years organist of St. Andrew's, Wells Street, London, and contributed much...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Barnabas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Barnabas family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: John Barnabie who settled in Virginia in 1620; James Barnaby who settled in Virginia in 1640; Sarah Barnaby who settled in Virginia in 1640.

Contemporary Notables of the name Barnabas (post 1700) +

Robert Barnabas Brough (1828-1860), English writer
Barnabas Oley (1602-1686), English churchman and academic
Barnabas Carver, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Dutchess County, 1805-06
Barnabas Burns, American politician, Delegate to Ohio State Constitutional Convention from Richland County, 1873 5
Barnabas Payen, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Dutchess County, 1792-93 6
Barnabas Case (1799-1880), American Democratic Party politician, Distiller; Postmaster; Member of Michigan State Senate 2nd District, 1851-52 7
Barnabas Eldridge, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Schoharie County, 1820-21 8
Barnabas Bidwell (1763-1833), American politician, Representative from Massachusetts 12th District, 1805-07; Resigned 1807; Massachusetts State Attorney General, 1807-10 9

The Barnabas 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: Virtute non vi
Motto Translation: By virtue not by force.

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html