Show ContentsDobbsan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Dobbsan is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from Dob, the baptismal name meaning the son of Robert. 1

Early Origins of the Dobbsan family

The surname Dobbsan was first found in Lancashire. The name was first found in the northern counties of England, firstly in Lancashire where they held Whitestock Hall, and by the 13th century had branched to Durham, Yorkshire, (where they held the Vicarage, near Bingley and Miss Ann Dobson was the heiress of Christopher Tancred of Wixley) and Cheshire. In 1396, Robert Johanson Dobson won a pardon in Lancashire. 2

Early History of the Dobbsan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dobbsan research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1567, 1610, 1633, 1646, 1670, 1675, 1681, 1695 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dobbsan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dobbsan Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Dobbsan has undergone many spelling variations, including Dobson, Dobsons, Dobsin, Dobsan, Dobsaun, Dobsone and many more.

Early Notables of the Dobbsan family

Notables of the family at this time include John Dobson (1633-1681), English Puritan divine, born in 1633 in Warwickshire, in which county his father was a minister. "In 1670 he was presented to the rectory of Corscombe in Dorsetshire, and about four years later to that of Cold Higham in Northamptonshire, by Sir William Farmor of Easton Neston, who had been his pupil at Magdalen College. He died in 1681 at Corscombe, where...
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dobbsan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Dobbsan family to Ireland

Some of the Dobbsan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dobbsan family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Dobbsan were among those contributors: Edward Dobson settled in Virginia in the year 1638; and Richard also settled in that colony in the year 1643. Later, Samuel Dobson settled in Harbour Grace Parish in Newfoundland in 1823.



  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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