Show ContentsHobend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Hobend originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived from Robert. The name is derived from a pet form of the personal name Robert. In England, in the Middle Ages, rhyming was often used as a device. This practice continued on into the 18th and 19th centuries; cockney, a London dialect of the 19th century, used rhymes almost exclusively to get its point across without the "upper classes" knowing what was being said. A common diminutive of Robert is Rob and Hobb. 1 2

Early Origins of the Hobend family

The surname Hobend was first found in Worcestershire where the singular form of the name was first found. Henry Hobben was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327 and later Alice Hobben was registered in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. Later again, Richard Hobbyn was registered in Essex in 1408. 3

Early History of the Hobend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hobend research. Another 34 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1656 and 1770 are included under the topic Early Hobend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hobend Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hobend has appeared include Hobbins, Hobbin, Hobbis, Hobbiss, Hoben and others.

Early Notables of the Hobend family

Distinguished members of the family include Agnes Hobbis, who held estates in Huntingdonshire during the reign of Edward 1st; and Ann Hibbins (Hibbens or Brennum Clenums), executed for witchcraft in...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hobend Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hobend family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hobend arrived in North America very early: Thomas Hobin, who sailed to Barbados, Joane Hobbin, to Virginia in 1660; Peter Hobben to Philadelphia in 1754; Mary Hobbin to Boston in 1849; John Hobin to Philadelphia in 1859.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. 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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