Show ContentsHorace History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Horace is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the name Rabin or Robin, which are pet forms of the personal name Robert. The name is preceded the Old English prefix har, which means gray. Hence, the surname Horace literally means gray Rabin or gray Robin. [1]

Early Origins of the Horace family

The surname Horace was first found in the parish of Taxal, Derbyshire at Horobin. [2]

A very rare name, we did find some late entries for the family in Cheshire. The Wills at Chester list John Horabin, of Westhoughton, 1591; Thomas Horabin, of Bolton, 1612; Richard Horrobin, of Bolton, 1633; and William Horrobin, of Little Bolton, 1633. "It will be seen that the Bolton Horobins first became Horrobin, and then Harrobin, as they exist to-day." [2]

Early History of the Horace family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horace research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1591, 1596, 1612, 1618, 1633, 1686, 1696, 1713, 1783 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Horace History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horace 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 Horace has undergone many spelling variations, including Horrobin, Horrabin, Horobin, Horabin, Harrobin, Harrabin, Harobin, Harbin, Harbine, Harbyn, Harbynn, Horbyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Horace family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Horace Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horace Ranking

In the United States, the name Horace is the 12,816th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [3]


United States Horace migration to the United States +

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 Horace were among those contributors:

Horace Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peter Horace, who arrived in America in 1810 [4]

Australia Horace migration to Australia +

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

Horace Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Barbara Horace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1839 [5]
  • James Horace, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Jane" in 1850 [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Horace (post 1700) +

  • George Horace Gallup (1901-1984), American pioneer of survey sampling techniques and inventor of the Gallup poll
  • Reginald Horace Blyth (1898-1964), English writer and devotee of Japanese culture
  • Richard Horace Sikes (1940-2023), American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s
  • Paul Horace Plimley (1953-2022), Canadian free jazz pianist and vibraphonist, co-founder of the New Orchestra Workshop Society and frequent collaborator with the bassist Lisle Ellis
  • Francis Horace Stubley (1833-1886), Australian politician in Queensland, Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Kennedy (1878-1883)
  • Barrie Horace Mitchell (1947-2021), Scottish footballer who played as a forward in 280 matches from 1967 to 1978
  • George Horace Gooderham (1868-1942), Canadian businessman and politician, Ontario MPP (1914-1919)
  • James Horace Lockwood (1888-1972), British Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Shipley (1930-1935)
  • Arthur Horace James (1883-1973), American politician, Governor of Pennsylvania from 1939-1943
  • Melvin Horace Purvis Jr. (1903-1960), American Democratic Party politician, FBI agent; Involved in the capture or killing of outlaws in the 1930s, including John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MOFFATT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Moffatt.htm
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JANE 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Jane.gif


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