Contents [hide]

Derby History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Derby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Derby name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the county of Derbyshire. The place-name was originally derived from the Old English word Doer-by or Derby which was listed in the Domesday Book and literally meant a "farmstead or village where deer are kept." 1

Early Origins of the Derby family

The surname Derby was first found in Derbyshire where the "surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Derby,' the capital of the county of that name." 2 Thus the name originated in the county of Derbyshire (pronounced Dar-bi-sher), and indicated a person who came from Derby (pronounced Darby.)

The first recorded instance of the family was Roger de Derby who held estates in the year 1160. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1278 list Edelota Darby in Oxfordshire and later the Assize Rolls of Essex listed Simon Derby in 1377. 3

As far as the Derbyshire variant, Geoffrey de Derbesire was the first record found in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1203. Later, in 1307, the Assize Rolls listed Henry and Richard de Derbyshire as holding lands there at that time. 3

Over in Lancashire, the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 listed Robert de Derby as living there and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Robertas de Derby; Johannes Derby; and Nicholaos de Derby. 2

"Darby and Joan" is a proverbial phrase for a loving married couple in England that was inspired by John Darby (died 1730) and his wife Joan. They were first mentioned in a poem published in The Gentleman's Magazine by Henry Woodfall in 1735. Woodfall was in fact, an apprentice to John Darby, a printer in Bartholomew Close, London. This first poem inspired others by St. John Honeywood and Frederic Edward Weatherly and the characters are referenced in works by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord Byron.

Early History of the Derby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Derby research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1278, 1300, 1307, 1677, 1678, 1717, 1720, 1749, 1789, 1790, 1796, 1800, 1819, 1823, 1834, 1871, 1882 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Derby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derby Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Derby were recorded, including Darby, Derby, Darbyshire, Derbyshire, Darbie, Darbey, Derbie, Derbey, Darbishire and many more.

Early Notables of the Derby family

Notables of the family at this time include Abraham Darby I (1678-1717), an English Quaker ironmaster & pioneer of coke-fired smelting, the first and most well known of three generations of people who held the same name. He...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Derby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derby Ranking

In the United States, the name Derby is the 5,711^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Derby family to Ireland

Some of the Derby family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 182 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derby migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Derby family emigrate to North America:

Derby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Derby, who settled in New England in 1630
Edward Derby, who settled in Massachusetts in 1630
Robert Derby, who arrived in Virginia in 1648 5
Ann Derby, who arrived in Maryland in 1656 5
Thomas Derby, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Derby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Kitty Derby, aged 29, who landed in America in 1821 5
S Derby, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
S S Derby, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
B Derby, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
H Derby, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Derby migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Derby Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Benjamin Derby U.E., "Darby" who settled in Canada c. 1784 6

Derby Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ann Derby, aged 60 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "John Bolton" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7

Derby migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Derby Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Frances Derby, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Louisa Baillie" in 1849 8

Derby migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Derby Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John N Derby, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1843
Mrs. Derby, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "John Wickliffe" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 23rd March 1848 9
Jonathan Derby, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
Mr. Hugh Derby, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 4th September 1864 10
Edward Derby, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Naomi" in 1872
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Derby (post 1700) +

George Dale Derby (1948-2021), American politician who served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 74th district from 2017 to 2019
George Henry Derby (1857-1925), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1881-1883
George Horatio Derby (1823-1861), American humorist who used the pseudonym "John P. Squibob"
Captian Richard Derby (1712-1783), American father of Elias Derby
Elias Hasket Derby (1739-1799), American post-Revolutionary merchant, one of the wealthiest in Salem, Massachusetts
Mabel Derby, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Delaware, 1936 11
John S. Derby, American politician, U.S. Consul in SAINT John, 1897 11
John H. Derby, American politician, Member of New York State Senate 16th District, 1892-93 11
Harry L. Derby, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Jersey, 1956 11
Frank N. Derby, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oregon, 1932, 1936 11
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Derby 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: Utcunque placuerit Deo
Motto Translation: Howsoever it shall have pleased God.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 24)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The LOUISA BAILLIE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849LouisaBaillie.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html