Show ContentsGabb History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Gabb family

The surname Gabb was first found in Worcestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Gabb family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gabb research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1327, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Gabb History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gabb Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Gabb include Gabb, Gabber, Gabe, Gaber, Gabar, Gabler, Gabbere and others.

Early Notables of the Gabb family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Gabb family of Monmouth


United States Gabb migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Gabb or a variant listed above:

Gabb Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Heinr Gabb, who landed in America in 1856 1
  • Georg Lambert Gabb, who arrived in America in 1857 1

Australia Gabb migration to Australia +

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

Gabb Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Samuel Gabb, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1830 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Gabb (post 1700) +

  • William More Gabb (1839-1878), American paleontologist
  • Sean Gabb, director of the Libertarian Alliance
  • George Seymour Gabb (1928-2007), Belizean artist, sculptor and writer


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon


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