Show ContentsAshburn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

  • Origins Available:
  • England
Ashburn Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Ashburn

What does the name Ashburn mean?

The name Ashburn is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the ancient Saxon name Aescbeorn, which means spear bearer.

The name could have been a lost occupational name for someone who was a "Ashburner," who was "a limeburner or charcoal burner," from the Old English word "beornan,' meaning "to burn." 1

Early Origins of the Ashburn family

The surname Ashburn was first found in Ashbourne, a well-known parish in Derbyshire. 2 Now known as Ashbourn, it is a market-town and parish, comprising the townships of Hulland, HullandWard, Hulland-Intacks, Sturston, and Yeldersley, in the hundred of Appletree. "This place, which at the time of the Conquest was held in royal demesne, is in Domesday Book called Esseburn." 3 4

The place name literally means "stream where ash-tress grow." 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two entries for the family, both with the original "E" prefix: Robert de Essebunie and Henry de Essebourne. Both held lands at that time in Derbyshire.

The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III. included an entry for Thomas de Assheburne, Derbyshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign.) 6 And in Norfolk, Thomas de Asheborne was Rector of Colveston in 1351. 7

Early History of the Ashburn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ashburn research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1382, 1384, 1626, 1737, 1772, 1777, 1793, 1810, 1844 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Ashburn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ashburn Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ashburner, Eshburner, Ashbourner, Asburner and others.

Early Notables of the Ashburn family

  • William Ashburner (1737-1793), from Dalton-in-Furness, established the family in India, and was in charge of the East India Company's factory in Tellicherry before he moved to the same position in Bom...

Ashburn Ranking

the United States, the name Ashburn is the 6,618th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 8

Ashburn migration to the United States +



Ashburn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Joseph Ashburn, who arrived in New England in 1675 9
Ashburn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joseph Ashburn, who arrived in Annapolis in 1724
Ashburn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Ashburn, aged 43, who landed in Ohio in 1812 9

Ashburn migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ashburn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Theodore C. Ashburn, (b. 1854), aged 15, English settler, from Warwickshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Siberia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st February 1870 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Ashburn (post 1700) +

  • Kristen Ashburn (b. 1973), American Emmy Award nominated photojournalist, known for her work in southern Africa; her work has been featured in The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, and Life, awarded Pictures of the Year Award (2007), Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography (2006), National Press Photographers Association's (NNPA) Best of Photojournalism Award (2007, 2006, 2003)
  • Justin Ashburn (b. 1981), American NASCAR and ARCA race car driver
  • Roy Arthur Ashburn (b. 1954), American Republican politician, Member of the California Senate (2002-2010) 11
  • Don Richard Ashburn (1927-1997), American Major League Baseball player, nicknamed "Putt-Putt", "The Tilden Flash", and "Whitey"; he played from 1948 to 1962, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995
  • W. R. Ashburn, American politician, Mayor of Virginia Beach, Virginia, 1924-28 12
  • O. A. Ashburn, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for West Virginia State Senate 3rd District, 1934 12
  • O. A. Ashburn, American politician, Member of West Virginia State Senate 12th District, 1907-10 12

The Ashburn 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: Actio virtutis laus
Motto Translation: The action of the power of praise
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. 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)
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

Houseofnames.com on Facebook