Carneby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Carneby has a long Anglo-Saxon heritage. The name comes from when a family lived in the region of Carnaby a parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Literally the place name means 'cairn-settlement' from the Celtic carn, cairn + Scandinavian by, meaning 'settlement, village.' 1

Early Origins of the Carneby family

The surname Carneby was first found in Carnaby, a parish, in the "union of Bridlington, wapentake of Dickerin in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The church is a small edifice, with an embattled tower." 2

The first records for the family are found here in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379: Rogerus de Carnaby, brasiator; and Johannes Carnaby. 3

Later records of the family were found further to the north in Caithness, Scotland, specifically with the spelling Carnabay, but that sources notes the family was "from Carnaby in the East Riding of Yorkshire." 4

Early History of the Carneby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carneby research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1404, 1407, 1541, 1552, 1595, 1624, 1628, 1629, 1640, 1642, 1645, 1669, 1677, 1772, 1805, 1808, 1823 and 1839 are included under the topic Early Carneby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carneby Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Carneby have been found, including Carnaby, Carnabey and others.

Early Notables of the Carneby family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir William Carnaby (died 1407), English politician, Member of Parliament for Northumberland in 1404; Leonard Cornaby, High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1541; and William Carnaby (1595-1645), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Morpeth in 1624; for Northumberland (1628-1629), for Marlborough in 1640, and for Morpeth (1640-1642.)William Carnaby, born in London in 1772, was a chorister of the Chapel-Royal under Dr. Nares and Dr. Ayrton. On leaving the choir he...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carneby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Carneby family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Carneby, or a variant listed above: Elizabeth Carnaby who settled in Virginia in 1741.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)