Show ContentsComberback History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Comberback arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Comberback family lived in Cheshire, where they held the title of Lords of the Manor of Comberbach, in the parish of Great Budeworth.

Early Origins of the Comberback family

The surname Comberback was first found in Cheshire at Comberbach, a civil parish and small village that dates back to the 12th century when it was listed as Combrebeche. The place name literally means "valley or stream on the Britons or of a man called Cumbra," from the Old English "Cumbre," + "bece." 1 The family held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Comberbach in the parish of Great Budeworth.

Early History of the Comberback family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Comberback research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1545, 1603, 1633 and 1866 are included under the topic Early Comberback History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Comberback Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Comberbach, Comberbirch, Commerback, Comeback, Comberback, Cumberbatch, Cumberback, Cumberpatch, Cumberbeach, Cumberbirch, Comberbirch, Comberpatch, Comberbeach and many more.

Early Notables of the Comberback family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Thomas Comberback of Congleton

Migration of the Comberback family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Comberback or a variant listed above were: Thomas Comberbach who arrived in New England in 1635.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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