Show ContentsStubbe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Stubbe is a name whose history dates possibly as far back as 1066 when the Normans first arrived in Britain following their Conquest of the island. It was a name for a a short or stocky person, having derived from the Old English word stybb, of the same meaning. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. 1

Early Origins of the Stubbe family

The surname Stubbe was first found in Staffordshire where they were granted lands at Water-Eaton and Bloxwich by William the Conqueror for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

There are elaborate accounts of this family's descent from Belmeis or Beaumeis from Beaumeis-Sur-Dive from Calvados in Normandy through Richard Belmeis, the founder of the family, who was a follower of Roger de Montogomery who was Sheriff of Shropshire and later Bishop of London, about 1100. 2

One of the earliest records of the family was Aelfeah Stybb who was listed in the source Old English Bynames c. 1000. Later Richard Stubbe was a Knights Templar in Yorkshire in 1185. Geoffrey de Stubbes was found in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1199 and Robert del Stobbes was found in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1288. Roger de Stoppes was listed in the Assize Rolls for London in 1276 and later, Robert Stope was listed in Yorkshire in 1408. 3

Thomas Stubbs (fl. 1373), an English "chronicler, [who] is said by Bale to have been a native of Yorkshire and a Dominican friar. " 4

Early History of the Stubbe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stubbe research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1540, 1544, 1577, 1587, 1624, 1632, 1676, 1714, 1724 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Stubbe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stubbe Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Stubbe include Stubbs, Stubs, Stubbes, Stubb, Stubbe and others.

Early Notables of the Stubbe family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Henry Stubbe or Stubbes (1632-1676), was an English physician, writer and scholar and George Stubbs (1724-1806), was an English painter

Ireland Migration of the Stubbe family to Ireland

Some of the Stubbe 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.


United States Stubbe migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Stubbes to arrive on North American shores:

Stubbe Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Stubbe, his wife and five children settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792
  • Mr. Stubbe, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 5
Stubbe Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Carlos Stubbe, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1842 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Stubbe (post 1700) +

  • JoAnne Stubbe, American chemist awarded the 2009 National Medal of Science


The Stubbe 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: Cedant arma labori
Motto Translation: Let arms give place to labour


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. 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)


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