Kibby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Kibby was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Kibby family lived at Kirkby in Furness. The name Kirkby means village with a church.

Early Origins of the Kibby family

The surname Kibby was first found in Lancashire. One of the first recorded references to the name was John Kirkby (died 26 March 1290,) an English ecclesiastic and statesman. "John de Kirkeby, [was] Bishop of Ely in 1286, and founder of Ely Palace, Holborn." 1 He acted as keeper of the great seal during the frequent absences of the chancellor, Robert Burnell, during the reign of Henry III. He was Lord Treasurer from January 1284 to his death. On 26 July 1286, he was elected Bishop of Ely, a post he held until his death.

Another John de Kirkby (d. 1352) was Bishop of Carlisle, an Augustinian canon at Carlisle and later prior of the house.

Early History of the Kibby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kibby research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1625, 1634, 1649, 1658, 1661, 1681, 1690, 1693, 1702, 1703, 1708, 1709, 1753 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Kibby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kibby Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Kirkby, Kirby, Kerribly, Kerwick, O'Kerwick and many more.

Early Notables of the Kibby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Kirkby, rector of the church of St. Michael in Aughton, Lancashire in 1548 2; John Kirby (1690-1753), an English land surveyor and topographer, best known for his book The Suffolk Traveller; Richard Kirkby (c.1625-1681), an English politician, from Kirkby Ireleth in Lancashire. He was a Justice of the Peace and Member of Parliament for Lancaster (1661-1681). His son Colonel Roger Kirkby (c.1649-1709) was an English soldier and politician. He was Governor of...
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kibby Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kibby Ranking

In the United States, the name Kibby is the 18,627^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Kibby family to Ireland

Some of the Kibby family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kibby migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Kibby or a variant listed above:

Kibby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Kibby, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1642 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Kibby (post 1700) +

Sergeant William Henry Kibby (1903-1942), Australian soldier awarded the Victoria Cross during WWII 5

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
"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)
World War 2 Awards.com - KIBBY, William. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) William Kibby. Retrieved from http://www.ww2awards.com/person/91