Show ContentsHumble History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Humble surname is derived from the Middle English/Old French word "humble" meaning "lowly." It is surmised that the name may have originally been a nickname for a meek person, in the days before surnames were used.

Early Origins of the Humble family

The surname Humble was first found in Durham, in Northern England where the first on record was Adam Homel, listed in 1242 in the Assize Rolls for that county. Although there was manor of West Humble, far south of this, in Surrey.

Early History of the Humble family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Humble research. Another 32 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1562, 1616, 1633 and 1650 are included under the topic Early Humble History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Humble 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 Humble include Humble, Hummill, Humbill and others.

Early Notables of the Humble family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Richard Humble, who held the manor of Goseys, (or Goosehays), in Harolds-wood ward of London in 1616

Humble Ranking

In the United States, the name Humble is the 5,779th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [1]


United States Humble 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 Humble or a variant listed above:

Humble Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Humble, who landed in Maryland in 1633-1641 [2]
  • Roger Humble, who landed in Virginia in 1637 [2]
Humble Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Uriah Humble, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1740 [2]
  • Martin Humble, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1740 [2]
  • Philap Humble, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 [2]
  • Hanc Jacob Humble, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 [2]
  • John Humble, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1775 [2]
Humble Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George Haden Humble, who landed in New York in 1824 [2]
  • James D Humble, who landed in New York, NY in 1842 [2]
  • Edward Humble, who arrived in Iowa in 1883 [2]
  • William T Humble, who landed in Iowa in 1883 [2]
  • Charles Humble, who landed in Iowa in 1885 [2]

Australia Humble migration to Australia +

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

Humble Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Samuel Humble, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "City Of Adelaide" in 1839 [3]

New Zealand Humble 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:

Humble Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • W E Humble, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
  • P P Humble, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843

Contemporary Notables of the name Humble (post 1700) +

  • Gwen Humble (b. 1953), American actress
  • Weldon Gaston Humble (1921-1998), American football player
  • Terry L. Humble, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky, 1924 [4]
  • Jack H. Humble, American politician, Mayor of Racine, Wisconsin, 1955-63 [4]
  • Stephen Humble (b. 1977), English cricketer
  • John Wilkinson "Jack" Humble (1862-1931), English football player and club director
  • Derek Humble (1930-1971), English jazz alto
  • William Humble Humble (1911-1992), well-known English pre- Second World War aviator
  • William Humble (1846-1924), English clergyman and cricketer
  • Katherine 'Kate' Humble (b. 1968), English television presenter
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Frederick Humble, British Signalman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking [5]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CITY OF ADELAIDE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839CityOfAdelaide.htm
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


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