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Hambly History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Hambly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Hambly family

The surname Hambly was first found in Cornwall where "Hambly is an old name of the 17th century in the parishes of St. Breward, Egloshayle, and Bodmin; in the last two localities it is still represented." 1 "Hamley and Hambly are fairly common surnames in Cornwall." 2

"Treblethick [in the parish of St. Mabyn, Cornwall] was the seat of the Hamleys, in which family it had been for many preceding generations. But not long afterwards it became the property of Treise, from whom it passed with other estates of this family on the death of Sir Christopher Treise." 3

The prevalence for Cornish roots is undeniable, but we will include another source's understanding of the name.

"The name, is apparently from Hamly Bridge in Chiddingly (Sussex), though the surname is now associated mainly with Devon and Cornwall. " 4

Other early records of the family include: Henry de Hambelegh, 1296 in Subsidy Rolls (Sussex); John de Hamelee, 1305 in London Letter Books; Osbert Hameley, 1361 in Feet of Fines (Wiltshire); John Hamely, 1399 in Feet of Fines (Northants, Surrey); Agnes Hamblie, 1554 in IGI (Saint Columb, Cornwall); and Diggory Hamley, 1718 in IGI (Stoke Damerel, Devon). 4

Early History of the Hambly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hambly research. Another 26 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1637, 1717, 1760 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Hambly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hambly Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Hambley, Hambly, Hamley, Hamby and others.

Early Notables of the Hambly family

Notable amongst the family at this time was William Hamley, born in Bodmin, Cornwall, founder of what is today known as Hamleys, one of the largest toy stores in the world. He originally founded a toy shop called "Noah's Ark"...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hambly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hambly Ranking

In the United States, the name Hambly is the 18,673^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Hambly migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Hambly:

Hambly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Hambly, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852

Hambly Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. John Hambly, (b. 1883), aged 21, Cornish miner from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th May 1904 en route to Houghton, Michigan, USA 6
Mrs. F. Hambly, (b. 1879), aged 26, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Calumet, Michigan, USA 6
Mr. Frederick Hambly, (b. 1867), aged 38, American engineer returning from St. Austell, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to the United States 6

Hambly migration to Australia +

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

Hambly Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Hambly, (b. 1813), aged 22, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 1st August 1835, sentenced for 14 years for stealing one sow pig and one barrow pig from Martin Matthews, transported aboard the ship "Recovery" on 26th October 1835 to New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Hambly, Cornish sawyer who immigrated to New South Wales, Australia aboard the ship "Recovery" in 1836 convicted at Newcastle Gaol on 2nd February 1846 8
Susannah Hambly, aged 22, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Marion" in 1849 9
Laura Hambly, aged 27, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Marion" in 1849 9
John Hambly, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Spartan" in 1849 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hambly 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:

Hambly Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Hambly, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Amelia Thompson
John Rundell Hambly, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Amelia Thompson

Contemporary Notables of the name Hambly (post 1700) +

Tim Hambly (b. 1983), American professional ice hockey defenceman
Kevin Hambly (b. 1973), American volleyball coach
Barbara Hambly (b. 1951), award winning and prolific American novelist and screenwriter within the genres of fantasy, science fiction and historical fiction
Barbara Hambly (b. 1958), former English field hockey player
Charles Wesley Hambly (b. 1863), Canadian drover and political figure in Ontario
Gary Hambly (b. 1956), Australian former professional rugby league player
Brian Clinton Hambly (1937-2008), Australian rugby league player
Nigel Hambly, Research Fellow in wide-field astronomy at the University of Edinburgh
Edmund Cadbury Hambly (1942-1995), British structural engineer widely recognized for his expertise in the industry

Historic Events for the Hambly family +

HMS Cornwall

Alexander Hambly, British Lieutenant Commander aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 11

Citations +

Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_gaol_admissions.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The MARION 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Marion.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SPARTAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Spartan.htm
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A