Abney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Abney is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Abney family lived in or near the settlement of Abney in Derbyshire.
Early Origins of the Abney family
The surname Abney was first found in the counties of Derbyshire and Norfolk, where the family is descended from William D'Aubigny, a companion of Duke William of Normandy. His son, Nigel, became one of the greatest land owners in England having Lordships in Buckingham, Leicester, Bedford, Warwick and Derbyshire.
Early History of the Abney family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Abney research. Another 37 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1634, 1640, 1676, 1690, 1694, 1698, 1700, 1721, 1727 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Abney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Abney Spelling Variations
Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Abney, Daubney, Daubeney, Daubny, Daubeny, Dabny and others.
Early Notables of the Abney family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Sir Edward Abney (ca. 1634-1727), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Leicester Borough (1690 to 1698)
Abney Ranking
In the United States, the name Abney is the 2,707th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1
Abney migration to the United States +
Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, travelling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Abney or a variant listed above:
Abney Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- William Abney, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1635 2
- Paul Abney, who arrived in Virginia in 1690 2
Abney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Thomas Abney, who settled in Maryland 1774
Abney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- John R. Abney, who immigrated to America, in 1906
- Mrs. Abney, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
- Mary L.P. Abney, aged 50, who landed in America, in 1908
- Alice Abney, aged 1, who immigrated to the United States from New Gardnes Surrey, England, in 1920
- Alice Julia Evelyn Abney, aged 1, who settled in America from Kew Gardens, England, in 1920
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Abney migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Abney Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Contemporary Notables of the name Abney (post 1700) +
- Lawrence "Larry" Abney (b. 1977), American professional basketball player
- John Donald "Don" Abney (1923-2000), American jazz pianist and session musician who played for Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and others
- Derek Allen Abney (b. 1980), American football wide receiver
- Sir Thomas Abney (d. 1750), English justice of the common pleas, was the younger son of Sir Edward Abney, elder brother of Sir Thomas Abney 4
- William de Wiveleslie Abney FRS (1843-1920), English astronomer, chemist, and photographer, eponym of the Abney effect
- John Abney Culberson (b. 1956), American politician, U.S. Representative for Texas's 7th congressional district
- John Abney Culberson (b. 1956), American Republican politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives 130th District, 1986-2000; Presidential Elector for Texas, 2000; U.S. Representative from Texas 7th District, 2001- 5
Suggested Readings for the name Abney +
- In Search of Kate by Charlotte Ann Abney Metzger.
Citations +
- "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
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2019
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html