Bixby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Bixby family

The surname Bixby was first found in Suffolk and Nottingham where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

One source notes that the family could have been from Bigby, a parish, in the union of Caistor, S. division of the wapentake of Yarborough, parts of Lindsey, in Lincolnshire. 1

To the south in Devon, we found this interesting entry for the family: Bigbury [in the parish of Modbury] was held by lords of that name as early as the reign of John ; and after nine descents was brought by a coheiress to one of the Champernownes of Beer Ferrers, from whom it descended through the Willoughbys to the Paulets. There is a fifteenth-century Bigbury brass in the church." 2

Early History of the Bixby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bixby research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1695, 1792 and 1881 are included under the topic Early Bixby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bixby 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 Bixby include Bigsby, Bixby, Bigby, Bigbury, Bigsbury and many more.

Early Notables of the Bixby family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Jeremiah Bigsby (1792-1881), English geologist and physician, eponym of the Bigsby Medal; and Sir Thomas Bigsby.Angel Bix (d. 1695), was a Franciscan friar, who "after filling the office...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bixby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bixby Ranking

In the United States, the name Bixby is the 7,430^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Bixby migration to the United States +

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:

Bixby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Bixby who settled in Massachusetts in 1620
Joseph Bixby, who arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1640 4

Bixby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Simon Bixby, who arrived in New York in 1826 4
W Bixby, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bixby (post 1700) +

Drexel Jerome Lewis Bixby (1923-1998), American short story writer and scriptwriter. He wrote the 1953 story "It's a Good Life" which was the basis for a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone and which was included in Twilight Zone: The Movie
Brigadier-General Ernest Aaron Bixby (1899-1965), American Post Commander, 7824 Station Complement Unit, US European Command (1949) 5
Jonathan Bixby (1959-2001), American costume designer and a founding member of Drama Dept
Maynard Bixby (1853-1935), American mineralogist and mineral collector
Brigadier General William Herbert Bixby (1849-1928), District Engineer in Newport, Rhode Island from 1897 to 1902
Wilfred Bailey "Bill" Bixby (1934-1993), American three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominated television actor and director, known for his roles on My Favorite Martian, The Courtship of Eddie's Father and The Incredible Hulk
Tams Bixby (1855-1922), American newspaper editor and publisher, and government administrator
Jaydee Bixby (b. 1990), Canadian country musician
Brigadier-General Wayland Bixby Augur (1894-1982), American Commanding Officer, Combat Command B, 13th Armored Division (1944-1946) 6

The Bixby 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: Ad astra
Motto Translation: To the stars.

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Ernest Bixby. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Bixby/Ernest_Aaron/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 6) Wayland Augur. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Augur/Wayland_Bixby/USA.html