Contents [hide]

Hepburn History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Hepburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

In the ancient Scottish-English border region, the ancestors of the name Hepburn lived among the Boernicians. They lived in Durham but moved northward in 1329 to Chillingham in Northumberland, where they lived in the village of Hebburn in the parish of Chillingham. 1

Early Origins of the Hepburn family

The surname Hepburn was first found in Northumberland. Thomas de Heburn was on record in the Assize Rolls for that county in 1279. 2

They prospered here from 1271 until the 18th century, when the family line ended with an heiress. Adam de Hepburn (de Hylburne) was the first of the line. 3

One version of the tale goes that Hepburn was a prisoner of the Earl of March, who freed him and granted him lands for 'good and faithful service' after he saved the Earl's life from a feral (wild) horse. These lands were in East Lothian and the family spent the next several centuries aggressively acquiring new lands. 3

Early History of the Hepburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hepburn research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1432, 1467, 1479, 1483, 1497, 1508, 1512, 1513, 1522, 1536, 1556, 1563, 1568, 1578, 1598, 1612, 1636, 1637 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Hepburn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hepburn Spelling Variations

Spelling rules only evolved in the last few centuries with the invention of the printing press and the first dictionaries. Spelling variations are extremely common in names from before that period. Hepburn has been spelled Heighborne, Haybourne, Haybourn, Haybirn, Haybyrne, Heighburn, Heighbyrne, Heighbirn, Hepboyrne, Hepbirn, Hepbyrne, Hepburn, Heighbourne, Heyburn, Hebborne, Hebbourne, Hebbirn, Hebbyrne, Hebboorne and many more.

Early Notables of the Hepburn family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes (c. 1432-1479), Sheriff of Berwickshire (1467); Sir Patrick Hepburn of Dunsyre, 1st Lord Hailes (died 1483) was the feudal lord of Hailes and its castle in Haddingtonshi...
Patrick Hepburn third Earl of Bothwell (1512?-1556), was the only son of Adam, second earl of Bothwell
Adam Hepburn of Craggis (died 1513), Master of the Royal Stables in 1497, was killed in action at the Battle of Flodden; and George Hepburn (died 1513), Abbot of Arbroath, Lord High Treasurer of Scotl...
John Hepburn (d. 1522), was Prior of St. Andrews and founder of St. Leonard's College, was the fourth son of Adam Hepburn, second lord Hailes. 4
Francis Stewart Hepburn, the 5th Earl of Bothwell (1563-1612), was cousin of James VI of Scotland and I of England. He was the eldest son of John Stewart, prior of Coldingham, one of the illegitimate...
James Hepburn, fourth Earl of Bothwell (1536?-1578), was husband of Mary Queen of Scots, only son of Patrick, third earl of Bothwell. 4
Sir James Hepburn (d. 1637), was a Scottish soldier of fortune, was the son and heir of Hepburn of Waughton, Haddingtonshire, and cousin of Sir John Hepburn. 4
Sir John Hepburn (1598?-1636), was a Scottish soldier of fortune, was the second son of George Hepburn of Athelstaneford, a small property near Haddington, held feudally of his kinsmen, the Hepburns...
Also from that era was Dr. George Hepburn of Edinburgh, who was ennobled in 1672

Hepburn Ranking

In the United States, the name Hepburn is the 8,733^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Hepburn family to Ireland

Some of the Hepburn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hepburn migration to the United States +

After making their great crossing, many Boernician-Scottish families settled along the east coast of North America. When the War of Independence broke out, United Empire Loyalists moved north to Canada while the rest stayed to fight. The ancestors of many of these Scots still populate the continent. This century, through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations, they began to rediscover their collective national heritage. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Hepburn or a variant listed above:

Hepburn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Hepburn, who landed in Massachusetts in 1636 6

Hepburn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Patrick Hepburn, who arrived in America in 1700 6
Charles Hepburn, who arrived in Cape Fear, North Carolina in 1743 6
Joseph Hepburn, who landed in North Carolina in 1775 6
Thomas Hepburn, who settled in Baltimore in 1792

Hepburn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Hepburn, who arrived in America in 1820 6
Robert Hepburn, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 6

Hepburn migration to Australia +

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

Hepburn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Hepburn, (Winterbourn), English convict who was convicted in Dover, Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. Thomas Hepburn, Scottish sawyer who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Eden" on 27th August 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Donald Hepburn, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1849 9
Joseph Hepburn (aged 22), a miner, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Eliza"
Isabella Hepburn, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "David McIvor"

Hepburn 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:

Hepburn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

A Hepburn, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1841
Edward Hepburn, aged 24, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1855
Mr. W. Hepburn, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "George Canning" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1857 10
Mr. A. Hepburn, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "George Canning" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1857 10
Mrs. Hepburn, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "George Canning" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 28th November 1857 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hepburn (post 1700) +

Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston) (1929-1993), born Audrey Kathleen Ruston, British (Belgian born) actress and humanitarian and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Andrew Dousa Hepburn (1830-1921), American academic, President of Miami University and Davidson College
William Peters Hepburn (1833-1916), American Civil War officer and Republican congressman, responsible for the Hepburn Act of 1906
Arthur J Hepburn, American admiral
Katherine Houghton Hepburn (1907-2003), four time Academy Award winning American actress of film, stage, and television 11
William Peters Hepburn (1833-1916), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1860, 1888, 1896; U.S. Representative from Iowa 8th District, 1881-87, 1893-1909 12
William Hepburn, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 5th District, 1866 12
Nan K. Hepburn, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1924, 1928 12
Mary Hepburn, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1960 12
Lawrence Hepburn, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri, 2000 12
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hepburn family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. John David Hepburn (d. 1914), British Fireman from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 13
Master Owen Hepburn (d. 1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14
Mrs. Mary Katharine Hepburn (1877-1914), née Meredith Canadian Second Class Passenger from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14
Miss Barbara Hepburn (1911-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 14

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849DavidMalcolm.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Katherine Hepburn. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Katherine Hepburn. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html