Contents [hide]

Osburn History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Osburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

One of the most common classes of Scottish surnames is the patronymic surname, which arose out of the vernacular and religious naming traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Patronymic surnames of this type were usually derived from the personal name of the original bearer's father. The surname Osburn is derived from the Old Norse personal name Asbjorn, meaning divine bear. Alternatively the name was Anglicized as Osbeorn and Osbern from the Old English word "be(o)rn" which meant "god warrior." Osbernus was presbyter in record (1097-1107), and Osbern was capellanus (chaplain) from 1107 to 1124. Osbernus was abbot of Jaddewurd, (c. 1150) and Osbern was capellanus of Glasgow, c. 1180. [1]

Early Origins of the Osburn family

The surname Osburn was first found in Kent, where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated as Lords of the manor of Hartlip. They were descended from Sarum in Normandy, Osborne was expelled from Normandy in 1054 by King William. He sought refuge at the Court of MacBeth in Scotland, however he made his peace with William after the Conquest and was elected Bishop of Sarum and became one of only three people permitted to dine at the King's Table.

Early History of the Osburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Osburn research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1180, 1398, 1399, 1513, 1596, 1639, 1648, 1649, 1656, 1667, 1671, 1685, 1715, 1730 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Osburn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Osburn Spelling Variations

Scottish surnames are distinguished by a multitude of spelling variations because, over the centuries, the names were frequently translated into and from Gaelic. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or Clan affiliation or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Osburn has also been spelled Osborne, Osborn, Osbourne, Osbourn, Osburn, Osburne, Osbern and many more.

Early Notables of the Osburn family

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

Osburn Ranking

In the United States, the name Osburn is the 3,777^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [2]

Migration of the Osburn family to Ireland

Some of the Osburn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 132 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Osburn migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Osburn, or a variant listed above:

Osburn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Margaret Osburn, aged 27, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 [3]
Michael Osburn, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1812 [3]
James Osburn, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1812 [3]
William Osburn, who arrived in Texas in 1835 [3]
John Osburn, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1866 [3]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Osburn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Osburn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Osburn U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 [4]

Osburn Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Margaret Osburn, aged 40, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Triton" in 1833
William Osburn, aged 6, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Triton" in 1833
Mary Jane Osburn, aged 4, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Triton" in 1833
Eliza Osburn, aged 2, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Triton" in 1833
Jane Osburn, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Triton" in 1833

Osburn 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:

Osburn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alfred George Osburn, (b. 1861), aged 4 months, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 [5]
Miss Emma Osburn, (b. 1861), aged 4 months, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 [5]
Mrs. Harriet Osburn, (b. 1825), aged 36, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 [5]
Mr. George Osburn, (b. 1827), aged 34, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 [5]
Miss Mary Ann Osburn, (b. 1851), aged 10, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 [5]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Osburn migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [6]

Osburn Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Osburn, who settled in Barbados in 1678

Contemporary Notables of the name Osburn (post 1700) +

Raymond Carroll Osburn (1872-1955), American zoologist
Ruth Osburn (1912-1994), American silver medalist discus thrower at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Bennie I. Osburn, American Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis
Larry Patrick "Pat" Osburn (b. 1949), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1974 through 1975
Carl Townsend Osburn (1884-1966), United States Navy officer and sports shooter, winner of five gold, four silver and two bronze medals
Jim Osburn, American politician, Representative from Tennessee 7th District, 1992 [7]
Henry A. Osburn Jr., American politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates from Harford County, 1910 [7]
Frank W. Osburn, American politician, Postmaster at Eugene, Oregon, 1886-90 [7]
Frank C. Osburn, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate 42nd District, 1886 [7]
Charles Y. Osburn, American politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Shiawassee County 2nd District, 1871-72; U.S. Collector of Customs, 1877-81 [7]
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Osburn family +

Hindenburg LZ-129

Mr. Clifford L. Osburn (1898-1937), American Sales Manager, Oliver Farm Equipment Co. from Park Ridge, Illinois, USA, who was a passenger on board the Hindenburg LZ-129 and survived the Airship Fire [8]

The Osburn Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Pax in bello
Motto Translation: Peace in war.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Hindenburg Disaster Passenger List | Airships.net. (Retrieved 2014, April 11) . Retrieved from http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/disaster/hindenburg-passenger-list/