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| Origins Available: |
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The lineage of the name Firbank begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived near a scenic hillside. The surname Firbank is derived from the Old English words fair, which means lovely, and bank, which means bank or hill. However, the first portion of the name may sometimes be derived from the Old English word faern, which means fern. 1
The surname Firbank was first found in Cumbria at Firbank, anciently Frithbank, a parish of Kirby Lonsdale in Westmorland. 2 3 Historically part of Westmorland, this village and civil parish has always been relatively small with a population of 199 in the late 1800s and today less than one hundred people.
Early records show Robert Fairebank, son of Farebank in Yorkshire in 1583 4 and Robert Firebancke, of Wennington, parish of Mellinge listed in the Lancashire Wills at Richmond in 1638. 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Firbank research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1594, 1633, 1637 and 1668 are included under the topic Early Firbank History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Firbank has undergone many spelling variations, including Fairbanks, Fairbank, Fairbankes, Firbank and many more.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Firbank Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Firbank were among those contributors: John Fairbank who settled in Virginia in 1653; Elizabeth Fairbanke settled in Barbados in 1691; Mr. & Mrs. Fairbanks arrived in Boston in 1764; George Fairbanks arrived in New York in 1842.