Gibney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The lineage of the name Gibney begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the village of Gedney in the county of Lincolnshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English Gyddan-ea, which literally means Gydda's island. Another source notes the place name probably means "island or well-watered land of a man called Gaeda or Gydda," from the Old English personal name. 1
Early Origins of the Gibney family
The surname Gibney was first found in Lincolnshire at Gedney, a village and civil parish in the South Holland district that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Gadenai. 2
"The church [of Gedney] is a beautiful structure, supposed to have been built by the abbots of Crowland, who had large possessions in the parish; it contains 53 windows, those of the north aisle having considerable remains of painted glass." 3
Today the parish includes the hamlets of Gedney Drove End, Gedney Dyke, Gedney Dawsmere, and Gedney Marsh.
One of the first records of the family was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where Hervey de Gedeney was listed in Lincolnshire. 4
Early History of the Gibney family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gibney research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1698 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gibney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gibney Spelling Variations
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 Gibney has undergone many spelling variations, including Gidney, Gibney, Gedney, Gibbney and others.
Early Notables of the Gibney family
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gibney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gibney Ranking
In the United States, the name Gibney is the 16,153rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5
Migration of the Gibney family to Ireland
Some of the Gibney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gibney migration to the United States +
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 Gibney were among those contributors:
Gibney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Bridget Gibney, who settled in New York State in 1845 with her husband
- Owen Gibney, aged 20, who landed in New York in 1849 6
- James, Lawrence, Michael, Thomas, and William Gibney all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
- Christopher Gibney, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 6
Gibney migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gibney Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Miss. Catherine Gibney, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Lotus" departing 15th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 24th June 1847 but she died on board 7
- Mr. Richard Gibney who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Aberdeen" departing 1st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 13th June 1847 but he died on board 7
- Mr. Richard Gibney who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Araminta" departing 1st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but he died on board 7
Gibney migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Gibney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. John Gibney, Irish labourer who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Constant" on 9th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
- John Gibney, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Joseph Somes" in 1850 9
- John Gibney, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Joseph Soames" 10
- Luke Gibney, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 11
- Thomas Gibney, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 11
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Gibney (post 1700) +
- Nancy Flagg Gibney (1922-1980), American magazine writer and editor, co-owner of Gibney Beach, Hawksnest Bay on St. John, United States Virgin Islands
- Alex Gibney (b. 1953), American Academy Award winning documentary film director and producer, son of Frank Gibney
- Frank Bray Gibney (1924-2006), American journalist, editor, writer and scholar
- Susan Gibney (b. 1961), American actress, perhaps best known for her roles in the Star Trek series
- William H. Gibney, American politician, First Selectman of Berlin, Connecticut, 1904-15 12
- William G. Gibney, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from New Britain, 1940 12
- Joseph F. Gibney, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964 12
- John Gibney, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 15th District, 1894; Member of New York State Assembly from Westchester County 3rd District, 1898 12
- James Gibney, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Vermont, 1948 12
- Ella V. Gibney, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1932 12
- ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "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)
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 77)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/constant
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
- South Australian Register Monday 26th December 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Epaminondas 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/epaminondas1853.shtml
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html