Show ContentsMabant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Welsh name Mabant is derived from the hills and Moors of Wales where a very particular Celtic people, known as the Britons, thrived. This surname is derived from the Welsh personal name Mabon, which means a child or great son.

According to Welsh literature and mythology, Mabon ap Modron, the son of Modron, is a member of King Arthur's war band.

Early Origins of the Mabant family

The surname Mabant was first found in Cornwall, at St. Mabyn, a parish, in the union of Bodmin, hundred of Trigg. 1

"St. Mabyn is indebted for its name to one of the large sainted family that came into this country from Wales. One of these, a female, whose name was Maben, fixed her hermitage in this district, which still retains her name. This name seems to have been appropriated to the parish at an early period; since in the first valor in 1294, we find the name of Ecclesia Sanctae. Mabenae applied to the present rectory not far from Wadebridge. Of the personal history of this female saint, very little is at present known." 2

Early History of the Mabant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Mabant research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Mabant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Mabant Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Mabant have included Maben, Mabon, Mabin, Mabben and others.

Early Notables of the Mabant family

More information is included under the topic Early Mabant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Mabant family

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Mabant: Edward Mabin settled in Virginia in 1623; Andrew Maben arrived in Philadelphia in 1864; another Andrew Mabin arrived in Philadelphia in 1879.



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print


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