The Abdon surname is thought to be derived from one of several place names in West Yorkshire. The place names come from the Old English "heope," or "(rose) hip," and "denu," which meant "valley."
The surname Abdon was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from early times. In 1120 the manor of Hebden was granted by Roger de Mowbray to Uctred de Hebden, who was a descendant of Uctred, Earl of Northumberland.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abdon research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1220, 1612 and 1670 are included under the topic Early Abdon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Abdon include Hebden, Hebdon, Heberden, Hepden, Habton, Habdon, Hibdon, Hibden, Ebdon and many more.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Abdon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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 Abdon or a variant listed above: John Ebden who settled in Barbados in 1670; Thomas Ebdon settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1716; Thomas Hebden settled in Virginia in 1634; John Hebden settled in Virginia in 1651..